Legal experts warn Trump’s Iran infrastructure threats may constitute war crimes

More than 100 international law experts across the United States signed an open letter asserting that American strikes against Iran could constitute war crimes, following President Donald Trump’s renewed threats this week to target the country’s energy and desalination infrastructure.

Trump, who has previously altered the conflict’s timeline and targeting priorities, stated in a televised address on Wednesday that the war could escalate if Tehran does not submit to Washington’s conditions. He noted that strikes on energy and oil infrastructure remain a distinct possibility.

In the letter published Thursday, prominent scholars from institutions including Harvard, Yale, Stanford, and the University of California stated that the conduct of US forces and the rhetoric from senior officials “raise serious concerns regarding violations of international human rights law and international humanitarian law, including potential war crimes.”

The signatories specifically highlighted comments made by Trump in mid-March, in which he suggested the US could launch strikes against Iran “just for the fun of it.” The letter also cited remarks from Pentagon chief Pete Hegseth in early March, who claimed the US was not fighting by “stupid rules of engagement.” The experts noted: “These assertions, particularly when combined with the observable conduct of US forces, damage the international legal order and the system of international law to which we have dedicated our lives to promoting.”

The letter was released on the website of the policy journal Just Security.

The experts pointed to an attack on a school in Iran during the first day of the conflict, expressing “grave concern regarding strikes hitting schools, healthcare facilities, and homes.”

US media reports revealed that an investigation into a devastating February 28 strike on a girls’ school in the Iranian city of Minab found US forces were responsible. Nearly 180 people, including numerous female students, teachers, and school staff, were killed in that attack.

Trump issued a further warning on Wednesday, threatening an “extremely harsh” assault on Iran.

“In the next two to three weeks, we are going to hit them extremely hard. We are going to send them back to the Stone Age where they belong,” Trump said.

A leading US Muslim rights advocacy group characterized Trump’s wartime rhetoric, including the threat to “send Iran back to the Stone Age,” as “inhumane.”

The letter also emphasized the material toll the conflict has taken on the United States: “This war, costing US taxpayers between $1 billion and $2 billion every day, is causing severe harm to civilians in the region, has claimed the lives of hundreds of civilians across the Middle East, and is resulting in serious environmental and economic damage.”

The war commenced on February 28 when the US and Israel launched attacks on Iran. Tehran responded by initiating its own strikes against Israel and Gulf nations hosting US bases. The joint US-Israeli strikes in Iran and Israeli operations in Lebanon have resulted in thousands of deaths and the displacement of millions.