The European Union has urged United States President Donald Trump to refrain from bombing civilian infrastructure in Iran — which could be considered war crimes under international law — and exercise "maximum restraint" to achieve a negotiated settlement.
"Diplomacy is the answer," Anitta Hipper, the European Commission's spokesperson for foreign affairs, said on Tuesday in response to an Euronews question.
"From our side, we reject any threats also to attacks regarding critical civilian infrastructure. Such attacks risk impacting millions of people across the Middle East and beyond, and also may lead to further dangerous escalation."
The priority, Hipper said, should be "maximum restraint, the protection of civilians and civilian infrastructure, and full respect for international law and international humanitarian law by all parties".
The Commission's plea comes after Trump drastically ratcheted up his rhetoric over the past few days, threatening to "blow up" bridges and power plants across Iran and send it "back to the Stone Ages" if the country fails to meet his deadline to reopen the Strait of Hormuz, a vital passage that used to carry a fifth of the world's oil and gas supplies. Only a handful of ships have crossed it since the start of the US-Israeli strikes on 28 February.
So far, the strongest reaction to Trump's threats has come from António Costa, the president of the European Council, who warned on Monday that striking civilian infrastructure, like energy facilities, would be "illegal and unacceptable".
"This applies to Russia's war in Ukraine and it applies everywhere. The Iranian civilian population is the main victim of the Iranian regime. It would also be the main victim of a widening of the military campaign," Costa said.
"Escalation will not achieve a ceasefire and peace. Only negotiations will, namely the ongoing efforts led by regional partners," he added.
Although the US barely gets any of its energy from the Middle East, the near-total blockage of the waterway has pushed the price of Brent crude past $110 per barrel, roiling financial markets and prompting fears of stagflation.
Trump has imposed a deadline on Tehran to reopen the Strait of Hormuz by Tuesday, 8 pm Eastern Time (ET), which for Brussels will be 2 am on Wednesday.
"The entire country can be taken out in one night – and that night might be tomorrow night," Trump said on Monday. "They're going to have no bridges. They're going to have no power plants. Stone Ages."
Meanwhile, Iran has rejected a proposed 45-day ceasefire and is instead calling for a permanent end to the war, according to the state news agency IRNA.
Trump doubles down
The prohibition on attacking civilian infrastructure is one of the bedrock principles of international law and has been codified in the Hague and Geneva Conventions.
The concept of civilian infrastructure is understood in a broad sense to cover objects not used for military purposes, such as residential buildings, hospitals, schools, churches, power plants, electricity grids, bridges, railways and cell towers.
Asked if he was concerned about the potential commission of war crimes at the hands of American forces, Trump said: "No, not at all. I am not. I hope I don't have to do it."
It is unclear if the US president will stick to his cut-off date of Tuesday, 8 pm ET or change his mind at the last minute, as he has frequently done in the past.
On Tuesday morning, as Americans headed to work, he doubled down on his threat.
"A whole civilization will die tonight, never to be brought back again. I don't want that to happen, but it probably will," he wrote on Truth Social. "47 years of extortion, corruption, and death will finally end."
Europeans are watching the escalation with alarm, fearing that any attacks on power plants may further embolden Tehran and deepen the energy crisis.
Since the start of hostilities, European leaders have struggled to make sense of Trump's ever-shifting messaging on the war, which has included broadsides against NATO allies for refusing to send their warships to the Strait of Hormuz.
Last week, French President Emmanuel Macron issued a pointed rebuke, reflecting a growing sense of exasperation among capitals.
"When you want to be serious, you don't say every day the opposite of what you said the day before," Macron said during a visit to South Korea. "And maybe you shouldn't be speaking every day. You should just let things quieten down.
