Awa spokesperson today issued condemnation of recent statements made by US President Donald Trump, calling his threats against the civilian population of Iran “alarming, irresponsible, and incompatible with the basic norms of political discourse.”
Trump’s social media post threatened that “A whole civilisation will die tonight,” which has been widely interpreted as containing genocidal language. Coming from the head of a nuclear-capable state, such rhetoric is both escalatory and a direct threat to regional and global stability.
This latest statement follows Trump’s April 5th expletive-laden social media post threatening the destruction of civilian infrastructure in Iran.
“Threats of mass annihilation, whether literal or figurative, have no place in any forum,” AWA spokesperson Gabriella Brayne said. “We call on the New Zealand Government to condemn Trump’s statements immediately and reaffirm a commitment to international law.”
Brayne further urged that the “US-Israeli illegal war of agression” be formally condemned, that New Zealand troops deployed to the Red Sea be recalled immediately, and that New Zealand commit to full neutrality and abstention from further hostilities in the region.
“We are on the precipice of nuclear war and New Zealand cannot abscond from our duty to uphold international law and advocate for de-escalation and a return to diplomacy,” Brayne concluded.
About us
AWA – Anti-War Aotearoa – is an organisation launched in March 2026. AWA is committed to ending New Zealand’s complicity in wars of aggression. We promote respect for the United Nations Charter, a shift to a more independent foreign policy and New Zealand’s refusal to join the AUKUS military alliance.
