Anthony Albanese has claimed Donald Trump‘s comment was not appropriate after the US president warned Iran‘s ‘whole civilisation will die’.

Trump threatened deadly strikes on all of Iran’s plants and bridges if the country failed to meet his deadline to restore shipping traffic through the Strait of Hormuz.

The US President told his followers on Truth Social: ‘A whole civilisation will die tonight, never to be brought back again. I don’t want that to happen, but it probably will.’

A two week ceasefire was then announced between the US and Iran, 90 minutes before Trump’s deadline was due to expire.

During an appearance on Sky News on Wednesday morning, Albanese was questioned about Trump’s rhetoric, and said he didn’t ‘think it was appropriate to use language such as that from the President of the United States’. 

He added: ‘And I think it will cause some concern.’

Albanese continued: ‘We’ve said the conduct of any conflict must be within international law, that includes making sure that civilians not party to the conflict are given every protection possible.’

The prime minister refused to go as far as suggesting that Trump’s threat amounted to a war crime, but called on the parties involved to de-escalate the conflict. 

‘Look, it’s a long step between a tweet and that suggestion. What we have called for is a de-escalation and that is what has occurred. That’s a good thing,’ he said.

He also wouldn’t be drawn on if Australia’s alliance with the US was undermined by Trump’s handling of the Iran war.

‘The relationship between our two nations is a relationship, on many levels, between leaders and I’ve had a constructive relationship with President Trump – but it’s also between our armed forces, between our economics and between business people and people-to-people links as well,’ he said.

‘We are two great democracies and that will continue into the future.’

It marks the first time Albanese has openly criticised Trump’s rhetoric on the Iran war.

Albanese’s remarks come just a day after Trump blasted Australia for not joining the war against Iran.

‘You know who else didn’t help us? Australia didn’t help us,’ he said during a White House press briefing on Monday night.

‘Japan didn’t help us, Australia didn’t help us, South Korea didn’t help us!’

Trump repeatedly attacked the NATO alliance towards the end of the 90-minute press conference, noting his disappointment with the organisation for its failure to help US military objectives in Iran. 

On Tuesday morning, Attorney-General Michelle Rowland wouldn’t be drawn on Trump’s comments, and instead reiterated the Albanese government’s desire to de-escalate the conflict.

‘The United States, of course, is one of our longest and most important allies. But I will say this – Australia is not taking offensive action in this war,’ Rowland told Seven’s Sunrise program.

‘We will not be deploying troops. The actions that we have taken are defensive ones.

‘Noting that this has come in response to requests from the Gulf states, and it’s designed to protect Australian citizens who are there.’