United_States_threat_for_destruction_of_Iranian_cultural_sites
Donald Trump's threat for the destruction of Iranian cultural sites
Threat made by U.S. President Donald Trump against Iranian cultural sites on Twitter
On January 4, 2020, U.S. President Donald Trump made several tweets stating that if Iran retaliated against the assassination of Qasem Soleimani, "the United States will hit 52 Iranian sites, some at a very high level and important to Iran and the Iranian culture, very fast and very hard." The threat was widely described as a "pretty clear promise of a war crime" and was condemned by the international community as well as other American politicians. However, on January 5, Trump renewed the threat, and said "They're allowed to kill our people... and we're not allowed to touch their cultural sites? It doesn't work that way."[1][2][3][4][5][6][7]
In response, Iranian officials compared Trump to the Islamic State, Adolf Hitler and Genghis Khan.[8][9] Targeting cultural sites is a war crime under the 1954 Hague Convention.[10] On January 6, Defense Secretary Mark Esper distanced The Pentagon from Trump's threats, and confirmed that the U.S. will follow the laws of armed conflict, which prohibit targeting cultural sites. By January 7, Trump backed away from his threats.[11]
According to commander in chief of IRGC AF what Trump actually meant was Office of the Supreme Leader of Iran. Ukraine International Airlines Flight 752 was also shot down 4 days later in Tehran.[12]