Trump at his Monday-afternoon press conference.
Photo: Brendan Smialowski/AFP via Getty Images
Throughout the Iran war, President Trump has repeatedly threatened to blow up civilian infrastructure in order to force the Iranian regime to capitulate to his demands, despite the fact that deliberate attacks on civilian infrastructure, without a military objective, are war crimes under the Geneva Convention and international law. He’s currently threatening to blow up Iran’s power plants and bridges and turn the country into “hell” on Tuesday night if Iran does not cut a deal to his liking before then. He reiterated that vow during his press conference about the U.S. rescue of a downed airman in Iran over the weekend. He also admitted he’d already committed a war crime.
Last Thursday, the U.S. used a double-tap strike to destroy the newly constructed B1 Bridge in the Iranian city of Karaj, which was the largest bridge in West Asia and had been set to open later this year. Civilians were picnicking near the bridge to celebrate the final day of Nowruz when American bombs fell; the strikes reportedly killed at least eight people and injured another 100.
Amid outcry over the strikes, U.S. officials indicated the bridge was a legitimate military target because knocking it down would limit the regime’s ability to transport weapons to western Iran. Trump shared a video of the strikes and celebrated the bridge’s destruction on Truth Social:
The biggest bridge in Iran comes tumbling down, never to be used again — Much more to follow! IT IS TIME FOR IRAN TO MAKE A DEAL BEFORE IT IS TOO LATE, AND THERE IS NOTHING LEFT OF WHAT STILL COULD BECOME A GREAT COUNTRY!
Then during his Monday press conference, Trump admitted he ordered strikes on the bridge as an explicit message to Iran that they should take his infrastructure threats seriously:
You saw the bridge. The bridge went. We were very close to a deal. And then I got a call from Mr. Witkoff, Mr. Kushner, and J.D. saying “I think they’re breaking the deal.” I said tell them “that’s okay, don’t worry about it,” but tell them to look out their window and watch.
And within 45 minutes I gave the order to knock out the biggest bridge, I gave the order: Knock out the biggest bridge in, I believe, the Middle East — but the biggest bridge in Iran. And within ten minutes after I gave that order, that bridge was over.
At the same press conference, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth praised Trump for allowing the U.S. military to be “unleashed.” Last week, Trump repeatedly threatened to bomb Iran into the “Stone Ages.” Now he’s vowing to blow up all of Iran’s power plants and bridges by midnight Tuesday if Iran doesn’t capitulate to his demands, which there is no evidence it plans to do. Already, U.S.-Israeli air strikes have targeted health infrastructure like Tehran’s Pasteur Institute, industrial plants, and multiple academic institutions, including Sharif University — the equivalent of Iran’s MIT — overnight Sunday. The Pentagon and IDF are reportedly preparing to strike other economic targets as well. Trump also insisted on Monday he was “not at all” concerned about committing war crimes. At least in this case, he appears to be telling the truth.
This post has been updated.
