In his news conference Monday, Donald Trump threatened to blow up every bridge and power plant in Iran, action that would be so far-reaching that some experts in military law said it could constitute a war crime.

The issue could turn on whether the power plants were legitimate military targets, whether the attacks were proportional compared with what Iran has done and whether civilian casualties were minimized.

Trump’s threat was so broad it did not seem to account for the harm to civilians, prompting Democrats in Congress, some United Nations officials and scholars in military law to say such strikes would violate international law.

  • meme_historian@lemmy.dbzer0.com
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    1 day ago

    What do you mean “could be”? It’s pretty clear cut and we’ve been spending the past 4 years condemning russia for terrorizing and attacking civilian infrastructure like that

    • encelado748@feddit.org
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      1 day ago

      Targeting civilian infrastructure like Russia does is a war crime. Just threatening to do that is not as clear. I think that nobody will doubt that to actually follow through with the threat would be a war crime.

      • balsoft@lemmy.ml
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        1 day ago

        Plenty of propaganda outlets would cast doubt on it. AP is preemptively doing it right now. If you read the article it is not talking about the threats, it is specifically discussing whether bombing power plants would be a war crime. Shameful

        • encelado748@feddit.org
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          1 day ago

          The article above seems to be on the side that to indiscriminately target civilian infrastructure is a war crime. The wording of the article can be confusing for sure.

          • balsoft@lemmy.ml
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            1 day ago

            It is still presenting it as a point of discussion rather than a foregone conclusion, which it should be.

  • NatakuNox@lemmy.world
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    1 day ago

    If I was the next president I’d immediately join ICC agreements. Then I’d demand the past living presidents all be reviewed for war crimes and crimes against humanity. Obama included. We need to clean house to show the world we’re done being the evil empire. Trump sucks but every president since FDR has been a worse president.

    • NoneOfUrBusiness@fedia.io
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      We need to clean house to show the world we’re done being the evil empire.

      Except the US is clearly not done being the evil empire. On either side of the aisle.

    • Pommes_für_dein_Balg@feddit.org
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      21 hours ago

      Join the ICC, let international inspectors take a look at US military bases, re-join the climate accords and all the other international treaties Trump backed out of, and pass a constitutional amendment to ratify all that and another one to reform your election system.
      Maybe this will be enough to eventually re-gain the trust of other nations, eventually.

      • ayyy@sh.itjust.works
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        21 hours ago

        We have to reform the electoral system so that people vote instead of land or we’ll just end up right back where we are.

  • Asafum@lemmy.world
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    1 day ago

    “So-called world leaders around the world stated Monday that they would vigorously wag their fingers and sternly say “No! Bad Trump!” If he were to carry out war crimes (again). The administration was in tears laughing when journalists asked if they were concerned about the repercussions for committing war crimes. Steven Miller crawled out from beneath the carpet to say “what are you fucking losers going to do about it?” before leaping across the room to catch a mouse and eat it live.”

    • balsoft@lemmy.ml
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      1 day ago

      trump Threatens to Commit Even More War Crimes If Iran Maintains Sovereignty

      FTFY

    • FauxLiving@lemmy.world
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      23 hours ago

      Oh no, a law!

      Welp, pack it up guys. Our hands are tied by a law, nothing the future President and Congress can do about that.

      • Arcanepotato@crazypeople.online
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        20 hours ago

        It’s been 20+ years but sure

        Eta: my point was the US has signaled they dgaf about “war crimes” why do people still act shocked?

  • ClownStatue@piefed.social
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    22 hours ago

    What is this “War Crime” thing I keep seeing mentioned. I see so many articles talking about people committing these “crimes,” but I never even see anyone being tried, let alone convicted, of any such thing.

  • SeeMarkFly@lemmy.ml
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    1 day ago

    I’m not an expert yet I KNOW it’s a war crime.

    WHEN are we gonna stop him? I vote NOW.

  • ExLisper@lemmy.curiana.net
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    1 day ago

    Great! We got him!

    Now that experts said he’s a war criminal he will be impeached and gone before summer. I’m so glad it’s over.

    /s