US threats to attack Iran’s energy infrastructure could lead to war crimes

Responding to President Donald Trump’s statement that the USA would postpone strikes on Iran’s power plants and energy infrastructure for five days pending discussions on a “resolution of hostilities”, Erika Guevara-Rosas, Amnesty International’s Senior Director of Research, Advocacy, Policy and Campaigns, said

“President Donald Trump must retract deeply irresponsible threats of acts that would unleash catastrophic harm on millions of civilians. The decision to not proceed with such attacks must be based on the USA’s obligations under international humanitarian law to avoid civilian harm - not the outcome of political negotiations. Going through with such attacks would cause devastating long-term consequences and severely undermine the international legal framework designed to protect civilians in wartime.

“Iranian authorities must also retract their threats to retaliate by striking power plants used by the USA and Israel as well as economic, industrial, and other energy infrastructure in Gulf Cooperation Council states. They must end all unlawful attacks against energy infrastructure and desalination facilities – the desalination plants are critical for ensuring drinking water supply to millions of civilians in an arid region. They must further end unlawful attacks on commercial vessels in Strait of Hormuz. Iranian authorities must also immediately restore full internet access.

“Intentionally attacking civilian infrastructure such as power plants is generally prohibited. Even in the limited cases that they qualify as military targets, a party still cannot attack power plants if this may cause disproportionate harm to civilians. Given that such power plants are essential for meeting the basic needs and livelihoods of tens of millions of civilians, attacking them would be disproportionate and thus unlawful under international humanitarian law, and could amount to a war crime.

“By threatening such strikes, the USA is effectively indicating its willingness to plunge an entire country into darkness, and to potentially deprive its people of their human rights to life, water, food, healthcare and adequate standard of living, and to subject them to severe pain and suffering.

“When power plants collapse, horrific consequences cascade instantly. Water pumping stations would stop functioning, clean water would become scarce, and preventable diseases would spread. Hospitals would lose electricity and fuel, forcing surgeries to be cancelled and life-support machines to shut down. Food production and distribution networks would collapse, deepening hunger and causing widespread food scarcity. Many businesses would also shut down with devastating economic consequences including mass unemployment.

“Causing catastrophic harm to the civilian electrical capacity – at a time when the Iranian authorities’ deliberate prolonged internet shutdown has already left Iran’s population isolated – would sever people’s last remaining connection to the outside world, including access to satellite television, at a time of extreme danger.

“President Trump must immediately retract these dangerous threats and commit the US to upholding international humanitarian law.”