Donald Trump has said he is “not at all” concerned about committing possible war crimes in Iran, after he threatened to strike civilian infrastructure if the regime does not meet his imminent deadline to agree to a deal and reopen the Strait of Hormuz.
The US president has warned he will bomb power plants, bridges, oil wells and possibly water desalination plants, which is illegal under international humanitarian law.
“I’m not worried about it,” Mr Trump said when asked during a press conference on Monday what he would say to those who allege that striking energy facilities would amount to war crimes. “You know the war crime? The war crime is allowing Iran to have a nuclear weapon,” he added.
Asked again about the issue, he described Iran’s leaders as “animals” who had killed tens of thousands of protesters.
Mr Trump also said that if it were down to him, he would seize Iran’s oil, but that “unfortunately, the American people would like to see us come home”.
“I’d keep the oil, and I would make plenty of money,” he said.
He was also asked if attacking those sites would be punishing the civilian population, to which Mr Trump replied: “It’s suffering. They would be willing to suffer that in order to have freedom.”
Mr Trump appeared at the press conference alongside defence secretary Pete Hegseth, who is being accused of complicity in an “illegal” war on Iran by Yassamin Ansari, a Democrat who said on Monday she will introduce articles of impeachment against him.
“Trump is escalating a devastating, illegal war, threatening massive war crimes and targeting civilian infrastructure in Iran. In the last 48 hours alone, the rhetoric has crossed every line. Pete Hegseth is complicit,” Ansari wrote in a post on X.
“I’ve called for the 25th Amendment and am introducing Articles of Impeachment against Hegseth,” she added.
On Sunday, in an expletive-laden post, Mr Trump set a Tuesday 8pm Washington time (1am Wednesday BST) deadline for Tehran or it would face “Power Plant Day, and Bridge Day, all wrapped up in one”.
He wrote on his Truth Social platform: “There will be nothing like it!!! Open the F***in’ Strait, you crazy bastards, or you’ll be living in Hell.”
His post was met with alarm and criticism by US politicians, including from his former ally turned critic, Marjorie Taylor Greene. She wrote on X: “Everyone in his administration that claims to be a Christian needs to fall on their knees and beg forgiveness from God and stop worshipping the President and intervene in Trump’s madness.”
She continued: “Trump threatening to bomb power plants and bridges hurts the Iranian people, the very people Trump claimed he was freeing [...] This is not making America great again, this is evil.”
Other politicians who criticised Trump’s threats, include the Senate minority leader, Chuck Schumer, who said: “He’s threatening possible war crimes and alienating allies. This is who he is, but this is not who we are. Our country deserves so much better.”
Senator Chris Murphy called his post “completely unhinged”.
The spokesperson for UN secretary general Antonio Guterres also warned that attacking civilian infrastructure is banned under international law.
“Even if specific civilian infrastructure were to qualify as a military objective,” Stephane Dujarric said, an attack would still be prohibited if it risks “excessive incidental civilian harm”.
Earlier on Monday, the White House confirmed there was a deal under consideration for a 45-day ceasefire with Iran, but that Trump had “not signed off” on the proposal. Iran rejected a 45-day ceasefire proposal and said it wanted a permanent end to the conflict.
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