“A whole civilization will die tonight, never to be brought back again,” President Donald Trump wrote on social media Tuesday morning as his 8 p.m. deadline for a deal with Iran approached. The post followed his Easter Sunday message calling on the Iranian regime to “Open the Fuckin’ Strait, you crazy bastards, or you’ll be living in Hell. — JUST WATCH!” He was extremely clear about what that would entail. If no deal was reached, he promised to bomb Iran’s bridges and power plants.
Trump’s escalatory rhetoric has resulted in a flood of criticism, both at home and abroad. French foreign minister Jean-Noël Barrot pleaded for restraint, saying attacks on civilian infrastructure “are barred by the rules of war, international law.” Two former Judge Advocate General’s officers, Margaret Donovan and Rachel VanLandingham, wrote, “Such rhetorical statements—if followed through—would amount to the most serious war crimes—and thus the president’s statements place service members in a profoundly challenging situation.” This is because service members are required to refuse illegal orders.
What constitutes an illegal order?
Under the laws of war, especially the Geneva Conventions and customary international humanitarian law, you cannot intentionally target civilians or civilian objects. This includes infrastructure like power plants, bridges, and water systems. Infrastructure can be attacked if it is being used for military purposes; for instance, it could be lawful to strike a bridge being used to move missiles. Experts say that Trump’s orders are likely illegal because targeting broad categories of infrastructure—as he’s done by declaring Tuesday “Power Plant Day, and Bridge Day, all wrapped up in one, in Iran”—violates international law.
