US President Threatens Civilian Infrastructure Strikes Against Iran
Former US President Donald Trump recently stated he would authorize strikes targeting Iranian civilian infrastructure, specifically mentioning "no bridges, no power plants," should negotiations for a new nuclear agreement fail. Speaking publicly, Trump downplayed concerns that such actions could constitute war crimes, asserting that his focus remained on securing a deal favorable to US interests.
Mainstream outlets like Al-Monitor framed this as Trump 'upping Iran threats' and debating the legality of striking civilian infrastructure without extensively detailing the broader context of continuous economic warfare. This perspective largely omits the seventy-year history of US-led sanctions and covert operations that have systematically targeted Iran's economic arteries and political
stability, long before any overt military threats. The 'deal' Trump refers to, of course, is a continuation of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) which the US unilaterally abandoned in 2018, despite Iran's full compliance as verified by the IAEA. The US threat to civilian infrastructure echoes a deeply disturbing precedent seen in conflicts like Yugoslavia in 1999, where NATO bombing
campaigns deliberately targeted Belgrade's bridges, power grids, and water purification facilities. These actions, which caused widespread suffering to the civilian population, were justified under the guise of 'humanitarian intervention.' The current rhetoric towards Iran, combined with the ongoing crippling sanctions program that has prevented essential medicine and food from reaching Iranian