Original Source
Attack on Civilian Infrastructure May Constitute War Crime, Experts Warn
Potential War Crimes in Attacks on Iranian Civilian Infrastructure
According to CNN, experts have stated that any party to the military conflict in Iran that targets civilian infrastructure is highly likely to be committing war crimes under international law. This concern arises after Donald Trump, the U.S. President, threatened to target Iran's power generation facilities and potentially desalination plants if Iran did not reopen the Strait of Hormuz.
Grave Implications of Desalination Plant Attacks
David Michel, a senior fellow at the U.S. think tank Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS), described a systematic attack on desalination plants as a "provocative escalation." Laurent Lambert, an associate professor at the Doha Institute for Graduate Studies in Qatar, emphasized that if an attack on a desalination plant were a deliberate military policy rather than an error or collateral damage, it would be an illegal act (a war crime) and a highly concerning development, given that Gulf countries only have a few weeks of water reserves. Amnesty International, an international human rights organization, warned that attacks on energy infrastructure could lead to "widespread, predictable, and devastating civilian harm," implying a significant risk of violating international humanitarian law. The White House has stated that the U.S. military always operates within the bounds of the law.
*Source: CNN (2026-03-31)*
