US President Defends Targeting Iranian Civilian Infrastructure, Issues Warnings
Former President Trump, in a Monday news conference, publicly defended the targeting of Iranian civilian infrastructure, specifically mentioning bridges and power plants, and reiterated warnings that the country is 'running out of time.' This statement comes amidst heightened tensions between the United States and Iran, following a series of incidents in the Persian Gulf and ongoing rhetoric from
both sides. Mainstream outlets like CBS News reported Trump's comments as news, framing them around the personality of the former president rather than the implications of such threats under international law. There was no mention of the Geneva Convention, which explicitly prohibits attacks on civilian infrastructure not directly contributing to military action. This media framing presents the
threats as political posturing rather than potential war crimes, normalizing the idea that critical civilian facilities are legitimate targets in a conflict. Such statements are not new in the lengthy history of US-Iran relations. In 1988, the USS Vincennes shot down Iran Air Flight 655, killing all 290 civilians, including 66 children. The US government initially claimed the plane was a military
aircraft and later awarded the captain of the Vincennes the Legion of Merit. Decades of economic sanctions, which have severely impacted Iran's ability to procure essential medicines and medical supplies, directly contradict any pretense of humanitarian concern from Washington, with estimates suggesting hundreds of thousands of avoidable deaths as a result of these coercive measures. The repeated