Trump Has Combative Answer When Asked if Attacks on Iran's Infrastructure Qualify as War Crimes and If He'd Target Schools
Donald Trump was directly asked if he’s concerned that his threatened attacks against Iranian infrastructure could qualify as a war crime.
The 79-year-old president took a combative stance when questioned on the topic during a press conference on Monday (April 6), just a day after he threatened to send the country to hell by targeting their bridges and infrastructure in a profanity laden statement on Easter morning.
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“Deliberate attacks on civilian infrastructure violate the Geneva Conventions and international law,” a reporter asked during the press event, prompting the president to interrupt him and ask who he worked with.
When the reporter replied that he worked for The New York Times, Trump spoke over his question, implying that the publication’s circulation was “way down” and that the outlet was “failing.”
“Are you concerned that your threat to bomb power plants and bridges amount to war crimes,” he asked as Trump cut him off again, saying, “No, I’m not.”
He continued: “I hope I don’t have to do it. But again, I just said 47 years they’ve been negotiating with these people. They’re great negotiators.”
The reporter persisted, asking why the attacks wouldn’t count as a violation of international law.
“Because they’re not going to have a nuclear weapon,” Trump replied. “And if somebody that takes my place someday is weak and ineffective, which possibly that will happen because we’ve had numerous presidents that are weak, ineffective and afraid of Iran.”
The president added, “We’re never going to let Iran have a nuclear weapon. And if you think it’s okay for people that are sick of mind, that are tough, smart and sick, really sick… Any which way you want to say, mentally, these are disturbed people. If you think I’m going to allow them … to have a nuclear weapon, you can tell your friends at The New York Times, not gonna happen.”
“Even if it means violating international law?” the reporter asked in one last-ditch effort. “Quiet,” Trump replied. “You no longer have credibility at The New York Times because The New York Times said, ‘Oh, Trump won’t win the election.’ And I won in a landslide. I won every swing state.”
He said the publication was “running on past fumes,” adding, “You have to be able to give the correct news. And people like you, who I know are fake. You’re fake.”
Trump then continued to take questions.
Responding to another journalist, Trump affirmed that “very little is off limits” if he authorizes strikes on Iranian infrastructure. When pressed on if that included schools, he responded, saying, “I don’t want to tell you that.”
“We have a plan because of the power of our military where every bridge in Iran will be decimated by 12 tomorrow night,” he said instead. “Where every power plant in Iran will be out of business, burning, exploding, and never to be used again. I mean complete demolition by 12. And it’ll happen over a period of four hours if we wanted to. We don’t want that to happen.”
He added, “We may even get involved with helping them rebuild their nation,” saying that he wouldn’t want to have to invest in replacing infrastructure as expensive as bridges and power plants.
A day after the press conference, Trump continued his threats, saying, “A whole civilization will die tonight, never to be brought back again. I don’t want that to happen, but it probably will” in a statement on social media.
CNN addressed questions about if Trump‘s attacks would qualify as war crimes. The outlet noted that the Geneva Conventions do consider attacks on civilian infrastructure illegal, unless there is some connection to the nation’s military.
However, the president’s insistence that he’d target all power plants and bridges raise concerns about violating the international laws.