“They are scum, they are sick people”

by Karl Richter

Karl Richter writes that Trump’s savage attack on Iran and the collapse of the ceasefire have ignited a high-stakes showdown that could mark the beginning of the end for U.S. supremacy.

Russian geopolitician and publicist Alexander Dugin put it succinctly: one does not negotiate with the “Dajjal”—the liar and deceiver in Islamic theology who leads people astray in the end times. One fights and destroys him. On this, Muslims and Christians agree. The Iranians should have been warned and surely were. On Wednesday, US President Donald Trump declared the ceasefire agreement of April 17 null and void and immediately resumed the bombing of Iranian targets. Tehran responded with attacks on US military installations in Bahrain and Kuwait. Any calming of the situation in the Gulf is now off the table for the time being.

It is worth examining Trump’s choice of words carefully so as not to harbor any illusions about who the world is dealing with. Delirious about the Iranian leadership, he said: “I don’t want to deal with them anymore, they’re scum. You know what scum is? They’re scum. They’re sick people. They’re led by sick people. And they’re vicious, violent people. And if they had a nuclear weapon, they’d use it.” Regarding further talks with Tehran, he hallucinated in a brazen inversion of the facts: “As far as I’m concerned, it’s over. They are liars.”

The truth is different, and one must keep it in mind to properly assess the events. From the first round of exchanges between late February and mid-April, Iran emerged as the winner on points. The nuclear superpower USA, supposedly the protector of the region, had to absorb painful losses. According to consistent reports in American media (which both Trump and his Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth bitterly complained about), at least 17 of the 19 US sites were hit in the Iranian counterattacks, some of them devastatingly—a hit rate of 89 percent. At least some of the struck bases had to be evacuated. No wonder Washington’s Arab allies are keeping their distance: no one needs a protective power that protects no one.

But that is only part of the humiliation. While Trump has to endure the accusation that he achieved practically nothing after six weeks of war, Iran has suddenly returned to the world stage, undefeated and stronger than ever. As a result of the war, Tehran is now officially claiming control over shipping traffic through the Strait of Hormuz. Since May 5, shipowners have been formally required to apply for transit permits from a specially created Iranian authority, the “Persian Gulf Strait Authority” (PGSA), and to pay substantial fees, while the US superpower stands by and is forced to watch. For the self-image of the United States, which just days ago celebrated the 250th anniversary of its questionable existence with great pomp, this is completely unacceptable. The ceasefire **could not** hold under these conditions. America still does not accept that it is no longer the world hegemon. Israel and the Epstein files certainly did their part.

Thus the world is back where it was in April. It should remember that the war was not started by Tehran, but, in violation of all international law, by the USA and Israel, which began bombing Iran on February 28 in the middle of ongoing negotiations.

To the Iranian people, who have so far stood up to the Great Satan in an admirable way, anyone with their wits about them can only continue to wish every possible success: they are currently fighting at the forefront of all those who want a world without US-Israeli tyranny. Such a world is not only possible but must be supported with all determination. According to a 2025 University of Denver study, the number of victims of American sanctions since the 1970s alone stands at an inconceivable 38 million dead, not counting the actual war victims. A world order that accepts something like this as normal is a criminal order that must be eliminated. With a bit of luck, Iran will be its coffin nail.

(Translated from the German)