Secretary of Defense Mark Esper asserted that the United States would not target Iranian cultural sites in retaliation for an attack after President Trump made threats to do so.
Esper on Monday said, “We will follow the laws of armed conflict,” according to CNN. He also confirmed that targeting cultural sites is considered a war crime.
.@barbarastarrcnn: “Could you both say whether you are willing to target cultural sites?”
.@EsperDoD: “We will follow the laws of armed conflict.”
Starr: “And that means no, because targeting a cultural site is a war crime?”
Esper: “That’s the laws of armed conflict.”
— Ryan Struyk (@ryanstruyk) January 6, 2020
On Saturday, President Trump threatened to order strikes against 52 Iranian sites, “some at a very high level & important to Iran & the Iranian culture,” if Iran attacks any U.S. citizens or targets in retaliation for the death of Iranian Gen. Qassem Soleimani via U.S. airstrike.
The president repeated the threat the next day, saying, “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? It doesn’t work that way.”
Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, however, gave a response similar to Esper’s while making his rounds on morning talk shows on Sunday, vowing that the U.S. will “behave lawfully” and “inside the system.”
