Is the US about to commit war crimes in Iran?

Donald Trump has given Iran a deadline and threatened to send the country back to the "Stone Ages" if it does not comply by attacking power plants and bridges.

Crucially, Mr Trump has said the US would hit civilian infrastructure, something that is widely considered a war crime under international law, which sets out what is and isn't permitted during war. The Geneva Convention, which the UK is a signatory to, but the US is not, states, "civilian objects shall not be the object of attack or of reprisals".

However, the US president said in a news conference on Monday that "the entire country" could be taken out in "one night, and that night might be tomorrow". He added: "We're giving them till tomorrow, 8pm EST (1am UK time), and after that, they're going to have no bridges, they're going to have no power plants.

Stone ages." When asked, Mr Trump said he was "not at all" concerned that such an act could be classified as a war crime, before adding, "I hope I don't have to do it". In a Truth Social post on Tuesday, the president went further, saying: "A whole civilisation will die tonight, never to be brought back.

I don't want that to happen, but it probably will." "Any targeting of civilian infrastructure... is illegal" The possibility of targeting civilian infrastructure has been condemned by European leaders, including EU Council president Antonio Costa.

On Monday, Mr Costa wrote that "Any targeting of civilian infrastructure, namely energy facilities, is illegal and unacceptable". The possibility of concerted US strikes against civilian infrastructure marks a significant departure from Washington's previous stance on war crimes and what constitutes them.

Four years ago, it was the US that was accusing Russia of war crimes over the targeting of civilian infrastructure in Ukraine, with president Joe Biden calling Russian President Vladimir Putin a "war criminal". Despite Russia not being a signatory to the Geneva Conventions, alleged Russian actions in Ukraine still led to the International Criminal Court (ICC) issuing an arrest warrant for Mr Putin.

The Kremlin said at the time that Russia, which does not recognise the ICC, found the questions raised by the court "outrageous and unacceptable". In the past, those found guilty of war crimes, such as former Bosnian Serb general Ratko Mladic, dubbed the "Butcher of Bosnia.