Iran fired a massive wave of missiles at Israel on Tuesday, prompting Israeli officials to issue an ominous threat to Teheran regarding its willingness to retaliate. As the whole world braces for the possibility of further escalation, the first global effects started to sprout as the launches rattled US and European traders, sparked a sell-off on most markets and affected the oil market.
The incident is also poised to have consequences for the U.S. elections, as both candidates vie for angles to attack their opponent and, at the same time, campaign in favor of their vision on the country's foreign affairs.
Case in point: during a rally in Wisconsin, former President Donald Trump used the missile attack on Israel as an opportunity to criticize Vice President Kamala Harris and President Joe Biden, accusing them of incompetence and escalating global tensions:
"The two incompetent people running our country — and I don't think they're even running it — are leading us to the brink of World War III, a war like no other."
Now, war, or the threat of war, is raging everywhere, and the two Incompetent people running our country... are leading us to the brink of World War III. This is what the policies of weakness and appeasement have brought to the world.
— Donald J. Trump Posts From His Truth Social (@TrumpDailyPosts) October 1, 2024
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Trump supported his claim by saying the attack in the Middle East is evidence of failed leadership, asserting that Biden and Harris have allowed adversaries like Iran to grow stronger.
Trump went on to reference a September 2023 prisoner exchange between the U.S. and Iran, alleging that $6 billion in Iranian assets unfrozen as part of the deal had empowered Iran to support militant groups, as one of the conditions for the exchange was that the U.S. would unfreeze the sum, were accrued as a result of oil sales to South Korea. Trump claimed that said money "flooded" Iran with "American cash," allowing it to fund its militant, U.S.-designated terrorist proxies like Hamas and Hezbollah.
The Biden administration has previously defended the arrangement, emphasizing that the funds were restricted to humanitarian uses such as food and medicine.
The speech follows his criticism of the administration's response to Hurricane Helene earlier in the week, even after Georgia's GOP governor, Brian Kemp, was quoted as saying that Biden had personally reached out to offer help but that the state had the necessary resources to tackle the problem at the moment.
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