As President Donald Trump weighs whether to follow through with his threat to bomb Iran\u2019s critical infrastructure if there is no deal by tonight, the Pentagon prepared options for him that include targets that are used for both military and civilian purposes, according to two U.S. officials.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Trump\u00a0has\u00a0said he would\u00a0target\u00a0Iran\u2019s\u00a0bridges\u00a0and power plants, including\u00a0electrical and desalinization\u00a0facilities, which could amount to a war crime.\u00a0<\/p>\n
But targeting\u00a0infrastructure that is considered \u201cdual use\u201d\u00a0could allow the administration to\u00a0argue the U.S. is hitting military targets and avoid the technical definition of a\u00a0war crime.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The U.S. military is\u00a0typically\u00a0extremely mindful of this distinction and historically seeks to avoid intentionally targeting civilians or civilian infrastructure.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Attacking electricity plants or other civilian infrastructure indiscriminately would violate international law and could be prosecuted as a war crime, according to legal experts and retired military lawyers.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Targeting civilian objects can only be permitted if the facility provides direct support to the military and attacking it will not cause disproportionate harm to the civilian population, experts say.<\/p>\n
But Trump is threatening all of Iran\u2019s civilian infrastructure in blanket warnings, suggesting the U.S. will conduct indiscriminate air strikes. And even the president\u2019s rhetoric in and of itself could be treated as a possible war crime by issuing repeated threats that arguably terror among a civilian population, experts said.<\/p>\n
The U.S. government previously accused Russia of committing war crimes for firing missiles and drones at power plants and other energy infrastructure in Ukraine,\u00a0saying\u00a0Moscow intentionally deprived civilians of heating and power without any clear military advantage or purpose.<\/p>\n
At the White House on Monday, Trump was asked about the impact that bombing Iran\u2019s critical infrastructure could have on the Iranian people, who he has said repeatedly are the key to creating a revolution inside the country and ending Iran\u2019s threat to stability.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Trump said Iranians \u201cwould be willing to suffer that for their freedom.\u201d\u00a0He suggested the Iranian people would accept the U.S. and Israel targeting those sites in order to bring about change in the country. \u201cWe\u2019ve had numerous intercepts: Please keep bombing bombs that are dropping near their homes. Please keep bombing. Do it,\u201d Trump said, referring to Iranian comments picked up through a sensitive intelligence gathering tool that intercepts conversations.<\/p>\n
Trump continued: \u201cAnd these are people that are living where the bombs are, saying, \u2018please come back, come back, come back.\u2019\u00a0These are the people I don\u2019t know what they do, all I can tell you is, they want freedom.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
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