Donald Trump, other senior US officials and their cheerleaders appear to be embracing attacks – and threats of attacks – on Iranian civilian infrastructure, which legal experts say appears to constitute serious war crimes under international law. Even in the limited cases that they qualify as military targets, a party still cannot attack power plants if this may cause disproportionate harm to civilians. Even when a civilian object is deemed to have become a military object, international law requires an attacking party to balance the harm to the civilian population. International law permits attacks on energy plants and other ostensibly civilian targets only if it is determined that they primarily support military activity. “War on essential infrastructure is war on civilians … Deliberate attacks on essential services and civilian infrastructure can amount to war crimes.

Source: The Guardian April 03, 2026 17:31 UTC