[guest post by Dana]
On Saturday, President Trump caught administration officials off guard when he warned that Iran’s cultural sites would be targeted if there was retaliation against the U.S. for the killing of Gen. Qassem Soleimani:
Let this serve as a WARNING that if Iran strikes any Americans, or American assets, 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, and those targets, and Iran itself, WILL BE HIT VERY FAST AND VERY HARD. The USA wants no more threats!
In spite of concerns raised from national security experts and legal scholars, Trump doubled-down on his threat the following day:
“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,” he told reporters traveling with him on Air Force One. “And we’re not allowed to touch their cultural sites? It doesn’t work that way.”
Yesterday, Defense Secretary Mark Esper contradicted the President, saying that no cultural sites would be targeted:
Defense Secretary Mark Esper said the U.S. will “follow the laws of armed conflict.” When asked if that ruled out targeting cultural sites, Esper said pointedly, “That’s the laws of armed conflict.”
Esper’s public comments reflected the private concerns of other defense and military officials, who cited legal prohibitions on attacks on civilian, cultural and religious sites, except under certain, threatening circumstances.
Details:
[T]he 1954 Hague Convention says nations must “take all possible steps” to protect cultural property and shall refrain “from any act of hostility, directed against such property.” It also says nations must not use cultural sites for any threatening purposes that would make such locations a military target.
UPDATED: It looks like President Trump has accepted Esper’s clarification regarding cultural sites:
President Trump: "I like to obey the law. But think of it; they kill our people. They blow up our people and then we have to be very gentle with their cultural institutions? But I'm okay with it. It's okay with me." pic.twitter.com/vFCthzwpWU
— CSPAN (@cspan) January 7, 2020
“If Iran does anything that they shouldn’t be doing, they’re going to be suffering the consequences, and very strongly.”
–Dana