Iran’s foreign minister, Javad Zarif, warned President Trump Sunday that the president’s threat to target sites of cultural significance if Tehran retaliates for the killing of a top military leader in a U.S. drone strike would be a war crime.
“Having committed grave breaches of int’l law in Friday’s cowardly assassinations, @realdonaldtrump threatens to commit again new breaches of JUS COGENS,” Zarif tweeted, referencing the death of General Qasem Soleimani, commander of the Iranian Quds Force, in Iraq. “Targeting cultural sites is a WAR CRIME.”
“Those masquerading as diplomats and those who shamelessly sat to identify Iranian cultural & civilian targets should not even bother to open a law dictionary. Jus cogens refers to peremptory norms of international law, i.e. international red lines,” Zarif continued. “That is, a big(ly) ‘no no’.”
…….
On Saturday night, Trump tweeted that if Iran struck any Americans or American assets, the U.S. had targeted 52 unidentified Iranian sites, representing the 52 hostages taken from the U.S. embassy in Tehran in 1979.
……..
- Discussion
-
Iranian foreign minister warns Trump: Targeting cultural sites "is a WAR CRIME" https://t.co/GZtl3ijdOk pic.twitter.com/DuBpn06CXz
— The Hill (@thehill) January 5, 2020
Someone better let the President know he's threatening war crimes.
– 52 sites for purely symbolic reasons would be a war crime.
– Striking cultural sites without military necessity would be a war crime
– Striking in revenge is a war crime
– Targeting civilians is a war crime— Tom Nichols (@RadioFreeTom) January 4, 2020
Leave it to the dumbest President ever to be on fairly firm legal ground to strike a terror kingpin, and then follow it up by threatening to commit what would be, hands down, unarguable war crimes.
— Tom Nichols (@RadioFreeTom) January 4, 2020
Let me put even a stronger point on this.
Any U.S. officials or personnel who followed through on this statement by President Trump would be liable under the U.S. War Crimes Act, 18 U.S. Code § 2441. pic.twitter.com/09XImnPWf8
— Ryan Goodman (@rgoodlaw) January 4, 2020
Read the @AP, @politico, @washingtonpost & @latimes tick-tocks on the Soleimani strike and the following seems clear:
1) Trump’s impulsive decision surprised his advisers;
2) He made it to look strong;
3) The “imminent threat” claim is bullshit;
4) No one knows what happens next.— Daniel W. Drezner (@dandrezner) January 4, 2020
Get ready for "What's wrong with war crimes, cuck?" trollbots. https://t.co/yXDtSH1wa4
— Rick Wilson (@TheRickWilson) January 5, 2020
You must be logged in to reply to this topic.