US EditionBefore the ceasefire: Why Trump’s threats against Iran would have been a war crime
Trump said the U.S. military would destroy Iran’s energy grid unless Tehran reopened the Strait of Hormuz, drawing warnings about possible war crimes.
- On Tuesday, President Donald Trump threatened to "annihilate" Iran's civilization and destroy power plants if the government failed to reopen the Strait of Hormuz, declaring "very little is off limits" to U.S. attacks.
- Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth champions "maximum lethality" over traditional constraints, urging military leaders to abandon "stupid rules of engagement" that limit U.S. forces in combat operations.
- Amnesty International Secretary General Agnès Callamard warned that such threats "may constitute a threat to commit genocide" under the Rome Statute, which criminalizes intent to destroy a national group.
- Senator Jack Reed, a Rhode Island Democrat, called the rhetoric "reckless and irresponsible," stating it undermines confidence in the commander-in-chief and places service members in an untenable position regarding illegal orders.
- Trump has long dismissed the Geneva Conventions and Rome Statute as unfair constraints on U.S. forces, and experts fear this pattern of rhetoric could lead to significant real-world consequences beyond initial threats.
25 Articles
25 Articles
Daily Montanan
Debate over US war crimes, illegal military orders returns with Trump threats against Iran
U.S. President Donald Trump speaks from the Cross Hall of the White House on April 1, 2026 in Washington, DC. Trump used the prime-time address to update the nation on the war in Iran. (Photo by Alex Brandon-Pool/Getty Images)WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump’s threats to destroy power plants and bridges in Iran before saying he was prepared for a “whole civilization” to die have renewed questions about what constitutes an illegal order and wh…
War crimes experts: Trump's Iran threats would be illegal if carried out
U.S. President Donald Trump speaks from the Cross Hall of the White House on April 1, 2026 in Washington, DC. Trump used the prime-time address to update the nation on the war in Iran. (Photo by Alex Brandon-Pool/Getty Images)WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump’s threats to destroy power plants and bridges in Iran before saying he was prepared for a “whole civilization” to die have renewed questions about what constitutes an illegal order and wh…
Between Hegseth And Fox News 'Cabinet,' No Constraint On Potential War Crimes
A crucial piece of context for President Donald Trump’s deranged threat to annihilate all of Iran’s power plants and its “whole civilization” is that both his senior administration adviser on the matter, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, and his key outside advisers at Fox News champion the commission of brutal war crimes by the U.S. military.The clock is ticking on Trump’s latest ultimatum to Iran’s leaders, who he has said must open the Strait o…
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