President Trump has threatened severe strikes on Iran, even suggesting that the United States would target all of Iran’s bridges and power plants if an agreeable settlement could not be reached. According to CERL Advisory Council Member Geoffrey Corn, who was quoted in a New York Times and Washington Post article on the subject, this order to indiscriminately target civilian infrastructure would be illegal and force military commanders into an “untenable position.” In a separate interview with CBS News, Professor Corn also discusses the importance of following the law of armed conflict for the American military.
Geoffrey S. Corn is the George R. Killam, Jr. Chair of Criminal Law and Director of the Center for Military Law and Policy at Texas Tech University School of Law. A retired U.S. Army Judge Advocate Officer, he served as the Army’s senior law of war advisor. He is also a member of the CERL Advisory Council. Read his bio here.
The views expressed here are the author’s own and do not necessarily represent those of any organization or university.