Trump Endangers The World by Threatening War Crimes Against Iran on Twitter

Since 2016, sane Americans recognized the global threat that a Trump presidency would bring. Hillary Clinton famously said, “A man you can bait with a tweet is not a man we can trust with nuclear weapons.” Frankly, I’m surprised it took this long. With his reckless assassination of Iranian Major General Qassem Soleimani sans congressional approval, Donald Trump has united the region in anger and anti-American sentiment and put our country squarely in the cross-hairs for an attack. In addition, he is endangering the lives of millions of Iranians.

The repercussions have been swift and scary. Thousands of Iranians took to the streets for Soleimani’s funeral, burning American and Israeli flags and chanting “Death to America”. Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has threatened military retaliation.

Hossein Dehghan, a former Iranian defense minister, said of the response, “It was America that has started the war. Therefore, they should accept appropriate reactions to their actions. The only thing that can end this period of war is for the Americans to receive a blow that is equal to the blow they have inflicted,” he told the network. “Afterward, they should not seek a new cycle.”

But that is the crux of Trump’s plan in a nutshell: he is baiting Iran into a war to distract from his impeachment and to boost his support. Wartime presidents are notoriously popular, and always re-elected. Trump is clearly following the same playbook that George W. Bush did with the Iraq and Afghanistan wars.

But Trump, who recklessly makes foreign policy decisions via Twitter, has now threatened to destroy historical and culturally important sites in the country.

These actions, if carried out, would be international war crimes, plain and simple:

“United Nations resolution 2347 condemns “the unlawful destruction of cultural heritage, including the destruction of religious sites and artefacts, and the looting and smuggling of cultural property from archaeological sites, museums, libraries, archives, and other sites, notably by terrorist groups.”

And under Protocol I of the Geneva Conventions it is prohibited to “commit any acts of hostility directed against the historic monuments, works of art or places of worship which constitute the cultural or spiritual heritage of peoples…to use such objects in support of the military effort…[and] to make such objects the object of reprisals.”

Experts and politicians were quick to call Trump on his dangerous tweets:

Iran today announced that they would be lifting their restrictions and exiting from the 2015 nuclear deal. We will have to wait and see what develops as the fallout continues, but none of it will be good. Trump meanwhile, is golfing at his resort in Palm Beach.

(via NBC News, image: MOHAMMAD TAGHI/TASNIM NEWS/AFP via Getty Images)

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Chelsea Steiner

Chelsea was born and raised in New Orleans, which explains her affinity for cheesy grits and Britney Spears. An pop culture journalist since 2012, her work has appeared on Autostraddle, AfterEllen, and more. Her beats include queer popular culture, film, television, republican clownery, and the unwavering belief that 'The Long Kiss Goodnight' is the greatest movie ever made. She currently resides in sunny Los Angeles, with her husband, 2 sons, and one poorly behaved rescue dog. She is a former roller derby girl and a black belt in Judo, so she is not to be trifled with. She loves the word “Jewess” and wishes more people used it to describe her.

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