Donald Trump’s latest warning that “a whole civilisation will die” as the US armed forces bomb Iran’s bridges and power plants if a deal is not reached in the coming hours has focused attention on what many observers believe is an outright threat to commit war crimes.
The US President’s increasingly aggressive posture in the face of Iranian intransigence has raised concerns that he will order what is generally considered the world’s most powerful military to unleash “hell” on the nation of 90 million people.
Speaking to WhosWho.mt, Dr Hillary Briffa believes Mr Trump’s rhetoric and public framing of the plans “as an expression of his own moral judgement” implies that “a leader’s personal sense of necessity can override the legal and ethical restraints of war.”
That, says the Assistant Director of the Centre for Defence Studies at King’s College London, “reflects a profoundly dangerous position,” and is “exactly why international humanitarian law exists.”
Commenting on the specific threats on power stations, which Mr Trump promised to completely demolish if Iran does not remove restrictions on commercial traffic through the Strait of Hormuz by 2am on Wednesday 8th April (CET, Maltese time), Dr Briffa says: “Describing power plants only as part of missile production ignores their indispensable civilian function.
“Electricity keeps hospitals running, including neonatal units, and sustains water, sanitation, and other essential services.
“Once those civilian functions are dismissed, the line between military objective and civilian survival is deliberately blurred.
“That,” she points out, is the kind of reasoning that can place such attacks within the realm of possible war crimes.”
Dr Briffa holds a PhD in War Studies and has an extensive academic biography, with contributions range from analyses of Malta’s Constitutional neutrality to discussions on the USA’s geopolitical position in the 21st century. Aside from her role as Assistant Director of the Centre for Defence Studies, she is a Senior Lecturer in National Security Studies Education and a founding member of the Centre for Grand Strategy, where she serves as the research lead for the Climate Change and International Order portfolio.
