Trump said, the United States had targeted dozens of Iranian sites, and Iran will be hit “very fast and very hard,” if it attacks any American or U.S. assets.
WASHINGTON, Jan 8 (NNN-XINHUA) – U.S. President, Donald Trump’s recent threat to strike Iranian sites of cultural significance, if Tehran retaliates for the death of its high-ranking commander has drawn criticism.
“We have targeted 52 Iranian sites (representing the 52 American hostages taken by Iran many years ago), some at a very high level & important to Iran & the Iranian culture,” Trump tweeted.
Iranian Foreign Minister, Mohammad Javad Zarif, responded that, “a reminder to those hallucinating about emulating the Daesh war crimes, by targeting our cultural heritage: Through MILLENNIA of history, barbarians have come and ravaged our cities, razed our monuments and burnt our libraries. Where are they now? We’re still here, & standing tall.”
Trump justified the threat by highlighting alleged Iranian brutality against American people.
“They’re allowed to kill our people. They’re allowed to torture and maim our people. They’re allowed to use roadside bombs and blow up our people. And we’re not allowed to touch their cultural site?” he told reporters. “It doesn’t work that way,” he added.
Senior officials in the Trump administration scrambled to engage in damage control. Secretary of State, Mike Pompeo, said, U.S. actions would be within the law. Pentagon chief, Mark Esper, ruled out military attacks on cultural sites, saying, “we will follow the rule of law.”
Republican Senator, Lindsey Graham, an ally of Trump in the Congress, also said that, he had raised concerns with Trump about the remarks.
“Cultural sites, religious sites are not lawful targets under the law of war, unless they’ve been weaponised by the enemy,” Graham told reporters.
The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation said, Washington signed treaties pledging not to harm cultural heritage amid armed conflict, namely the 1954 Convention for the Protection of Cultural Property, in the Event of Armed Conflict, and the 1972 Convention, concerning the Protection of the World Cultural and Natural Heritage.
Experts said that Trump would violate international law, if he carried out what he tweeted.
Nicholas Burns, former under-secretary of state for political affairs and now a professor at Harvard Kennedy School, said, “Trump’s threat to destroy Iranian cultural sites would be a war crime under UN Security Council resolution 2347,” which was supported by the Trump administration itself in 2017, to warn the Daesh and al-Qaeda of similar actions.
“His threat is immoral and un-American,” Burns added.
Trump tied the number of potential Iranian targets with the number of diplomats that Iran had detained during the Iran hostage crisis, roughly four decades ago. However, even some, then-hostages, rejected Trump’s threatening rhetoric.
John Limbert, one of the 52 Americans taken hostage by Iran in 1979, said, “I certainly want no part of whatever decision he takes, for example, killing people, or blowing up Persepolis (a key Iranian cultural site).”
“Mr. President, if you are listening, please don’t bother yourself on my account,” the former U.S. deputy assistant secretary of state for Iran, said.– NNN-XINHUA
