US Strikes on Iranian Civilian Infrastructure Spark War Crime Allegations
International law experts are expressing serious concern that recent U.S. military strikes targeting Iran's civilian infrastructure may constitute war crimes. The actions, which have reportedly hit schools, health centers, homes, and a major suspension bridge, appear to contravene the Geneva Conventions. President Trump has openly threatened to escalate these attacks, warning that the U.S. military will target more non-military sites, including power plants, desalination facilities, and bridges, if Iran's leadership does not reopen the Strait of Hormuz. In retaliation for the initial U.S. and Israeli strikes that began on February 28, Iran has shut down the critical Strait of Hormuz, a vital global shipping route for oil. This closure has caused oil prices to surge, with immediate effects being felt by Americans at gasoline pumps. The conflict, now in its fifth week, has also seen direct engagements, with Iran firing on Israel and Gulf neighbors and shooting down two U.S. aircraft; one pilot has been rescued while another remains missing. The escalating situation has prompted the U.S. to advise American citizens in Iraq to leave immediately due to threats from Iran-backed militias. Meanwhile, President Trump has claimed that U.S. military action has been so decisive that Iran is 'really no longer a threat,' a statement met with defiance from Tehran. Critics, including legal experts and commentators, have accused the administration of openly flaunting violations of international law by deliberately targeting civilian infrastructure.
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Sources
Iran fires on Israel and Gulf neighbors as Trump claims threat from Tehran nearly eliminated | PBS News
Subscribe to Here’s the Deal, our politics newsletter for analysis you won’t find anywhere else. Before the U.S. and Israel started the war on Feb. 28 with strikes on Iran, the waterway was open to traffic and 20% of all traded oil used passed through it. Iran responded defiantly to Trump's speech, in which the American president claimed U.S. military action had been so decisive that "one of the most powerful countries" is "really no longer a threat...
Trump 'Openly Flaunting His War Crimes' as US Bombs Iran's Civilian Infrastructure | Common Dreams
Drop Site News co-founder Ryan Grim described Trump's post as, "An extremist group in Washington, DC has claimed credit for the terrorist attack on the Iranian bridge." Earlier Thursday, Grim noted that Iran has shut down the Strait of Hormuz, a waterway between the Persian Gulf and the Gulf of Oman that's a key shipping route for fossil fuels. Oil prices have surged, as Americans have already seen at the gasoline pump. "The more civilian infrastructure we destroy ...
U.S. tells Americans in Iraq to leave immediately amid threat from Iran-backed militias
He and two other experts in international law who spoke to NBC News said Trump’s threats alone could represent a possible war crime. Read the full story here. ... Trump hailed the U.S. military’s “unstoppable” prowess in the war with Iran, telling Americans in a prime-time address last ...
More strikes were reported across Iran Thursday night and into Friday. Trump has threatened that the U.S. will hit more civilian infrastructure, including power and desalination plants, by next week if Iran's leadership does not open the Strait of Hormuz. International law expert Gabor Rona ...
Live updates: One pilot rescued, one still missing after U.S. fighter jet shot down over Iran, officials say
One of the pilots was rescued and is alive, a U.S. official told NBC News. TRUMP WARNS IRAN AFTER BRIDGE STRIKE: President Donald Trump has warned that the United States “hasn’t even started destroying what’s left in Iran,” his latest threat to intensify attacks on civilian infrastructure ...
‘Bridges next, then Electric Power Plants!’ Trump threatens Iran’s infrastructure. - E&E News by POLITICO
President Donald Trump delivered a new threat to Iran late Thursday evening, warning that the American military would strike civilian infrastructure including bridges and power plants. “Our Military, the greatest and most powerful (by far!) anywhere in the World, hasn’t even started destroying ...
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