Article 52 of the first additional protocol to the Geneva Conventions forbids any attacks directed at civilian targets. Based on this principle, the International Criminal Court has issued arrest warrants for Russian military leaders and officials accountable for strikes on Ukraine’s energy facilities. These assaults, along with missile attacks aimed at Ukrainian cities to instill fear and despair, are classified as war crimes. The same legal standards would apply to the United States if Donald Trump were to follow through on his recent threats to bomb Iran back to the “stone age.”
In light of the current situation, it is crucial to reiterate these fundamental principles of international law, especially as Mr. Trump and his Defense Secretary, Pete Hegseth, seem to communicate as if they are caught in a violent fantasy. Mr. Hegseth, an Evangelical Christian, has disturbingly framed Operation Epic Fury as a modern crusade “to break the teeth of the ungodly.” Over the weekend, Mr. Trump escalated the rhetoric by launching a tirade filled with profanity, declaring that if Iran does not reopen the Strait of Hormuz to shipping, “Tuesday will be Power Plant Day, and Bridge Day… Open the [expletive] Strait, you crazy bastards, or you’ll be living in Hell.”
As the nation prepares to commemorate the 250th anniversary of its declaration of independence this summer, such language is a disgrace to the office Mr. Trump occupies and the administration he leads. It further tarnishes the already diminished global standing and moral authority of the United States, a reputation that Mr. Trump has significantly compromised. In a more rational political environment, members of his cabinet would heed Democratic Senator Chris Murphy’s suggestion to explore constitutional methods for his removal. However, given the blatant complicity of those around him, such actions seem unlikely.
The international community is left to anxiously await the potential for a catastrophic escalation of the United States and Israel’s unlawful military actions, which could lead to unpredictable and far-reaching consequences. Iran has warned of its intention to broaden the scope of its own retaliatory measures both within and beyond its immediate vicinity. Despite Mr. Trump’s boastful assertions about having dismantled Iran’s military capability, this threat is not trivial, as evidenced by the situation surrounding the Strait of Hormuz.
NATO allies have wisely opted not to support Mr. Trump’s reckless venture into war, recognizing both the lack of a coherent strategic framework and any legal rationale. They must now hope that the president’s apocalyptic language is a cover for seeking a quick resolution as global economic pressures increase. Mr. Trump later claimed there was a “good chance” of a ceasefire agreement with Iran before the impending Tuesday deadline. However, shortly thereafter, Israel conducted airstrikes on a significant petrochemical facility within Iran’s largest natural gas field.
It seems Mr. Trump is improvising his approach. During a press conference at the White House on Monday, he and Mr. Hegseth boasted about the dramatic rescue of a missing U.S. pilot whose aircraft had been downed in southern Iran. In the hours to come, the fate of thousands of lives—and the immediate future of the global economy—will hinge on the unpredictable decisions of a U.S. president driven solely by his own self-serving impulses and the sycophantic reinforcement from his advisors.
