More than one hundred United States-based international law experts have warned that American strikes on Iran may amount to war crimes. These violations come only a few months after the U.S. committed obvious war crimes when it bombed civilian boats in the Caribbean, accusing them of “narco terrorism.”
Experts were citing violations of the United Nations Charter, attacks on civilian infrastructure, and alarming rhetoric from senior officials as evidence of the U.S.’s war crimes.
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In an open letter published on Thursday by the Just Security policy journal, scholars from Harvard, Yale, Stanford, and other institutions stated that the unprovoked U.S.-Israeli campaign against Iran, which began in late February, is “a clear violation of the United Nations Charter.”
We, the undersigned U.S.-based international law experts, professors, and practitioners, write to express profound concern about serious violations of international law and alarming rhetoric by the United States, Israel, and Iran in the present armed conflict in the Middle East. –Just Security
They also stated that the conduct of U.S. forces and statements by officials “raise serious concerns about violations of international human rights law and international humanitarian law, including potential war crimes.”
Citing War Secretary Pete Hegseth, the authors pointed to a March 2nd statement in which the war monger stated that the U.S. does not fight with “stupid rules of engagement,” and his declaration of “no quarter, no mercy for our enemies” – a phrase that, under international law, can constitute a war crime. They additionally highlighted ruler Donald Trump’s comments last month that he might strike Iran “just for fun.”
Of particular concern was the February 28th strike on the Shajareh Tayyebeh girls’ school in Minab, which killed at least 175 people, mostly children.
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The scholars are also concerned about Iran’s mistakes and tyranny as well.
We remain concerned about the risk of atrocities across the region, including the continuing risks posed by the Iranian government to Iranians through violent crackdowns on dissent, and to civilians across the Middle East through Iran’s ongoing unlawful strikes on civilian infrastructure using explosive weapons in densely populated areas.-Just Security
The war, which is costing U.S. taxpayers between $1-2 billion each day, is imposing significant harm to civilians in the region. It has resulted in the loss of hundreds of civilian lives across the Middle East, and is causing serious environmental and economic harms, such as over $4 gallon of gasoline, during a time when most Americans are living paycheck to paycheck.
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