President Trump claimed Monday that Iranian civilians are actively encouraging American military strikes on their country's infrastructure, asserting without proof that ordinary Iranians would accept power outages and disrupted services as a price for overthrowing their government.
Speaking from the White House, Trump rejected suggestions that bombing Iran's power grid and civilian infrastructure would harm everyday people rather than government targets. He said U.S. intelligence had intercepted communications from civilians near bombing sites urging American forces to proceed with the attacks.
The president offered no documentation or details to support the intelligence claim.
Trump's comments addressed a significant tension in his stated willingness to strike Iranian infrastructure: such operations would directly affect ordinary citizens who depend on electricity and basic services. Military and legal experts have raised questions about whether targeting civilian power systems could constitute war crimes under international law.
By framing potential civilian suffering as acceptable to Iranians themselves, Trump sought to sidestep concerns that such strikes would punish the population rather than the Islamic Republic's government. His assertion that people would be
Comments