During his Monday press conference, President Donald Trump threatened to blow up all the bridges and power plants in Iran. This action was considered so radical that some military law experts believed it could constitute a war crime.
The legality of the military targets, the proportionality of the attacks in response to Iran’s actions, and the minimization of civilian casualties could be determining factors.
Donald Trump’s threat seemed so general that it appeared to disregard the damage to civilians, prompting Democrats in Congress, some United Nations officials, and military law experts to declare that such strikes would violate international law.
Concrete actions by the president often fall short of his grandiloquent rhetoric at the moment. However, his warnings about power plants and bridges were unequivocal on Sunday and Monday when he set Tuesday night as the deadline for Iran to open the Strait of Hormuz.
A spokesperson for the UN Secretary-General, António Guterres, warned on Monday that any attack on such infrastructure is prohibited by international law.
“These are clearly illegal threats,” said Michael Schmitt, professor at the U.S. Naval War College and international law professor at the University of Reading in Britain.
The Strait of Hormuz, a strategic passage point in the Persian Gulf through which usually 20% of the world’s oil transits, has almost come to a halt, causing a surge in oil prices and high stock market instability.
Trump announced on Monday that he was “absolutely not” concerned about the risk of committing war crimes while continuing to threaten destruction. He also warned that every power plant would be “reduced to ashes, explode, and be permanently out of service.”
“I hope not to have to do it,” added Donald Trump.
When asked for more details on Monday, White House spokesperson Anna Kelly said, “The Iranian people welcome the sound of bombs because it means their oppressors are losing.”
The conflict intensifies as Donald Trump escalates his threats to bomb Iranian infrastructure, including the Kharg refinery critical to the country’s oil industry and desalination plants providing drinking water.
In a post on Truth Social dated March 30, Mr. Trump warned that the United States would “annihilate all their power plants, oil wells, and the Kharg refinery, which we have purposely spared until now.”
Easter Sunday, in a message full of insults, Donald Trump threatened Iran with a “Day of the Power Plant and Bridge, all in one,” adding “you will live in hell” if the strait does not reopen.
“This is, in my opinion, a clear threat of illegal action,” noted Michael Schmitt.
While technically justifiable under the laws of war, strikes causing civilian harm could backfire against the United States in the long run, stated Rachel VanLandingham.
Trump’s rhetoric could sow fear among Iranians and make them believe that the U.S. does not care about their well-being, continued Rachel VanLandingham. Iranian leaders could use it for propaganda to create and strengthen opposition, contributing to a longer and harsher war.
