During a recent press conference, Donald Trump expressed his view that the Iranian populace might be willing to endure significant suffering as a result of his threatened military actions against civilian energy infrastructure, all in the pursuit of their freedom. When questioned about the morality of targeting these installations—which would impact civilians—he responded that this suffering was something Iranians would accept to achieve liberation.
Trump further claimed that the Iranian people allegedly support the continuation of US military strikes, stating that there had been multiple intercepted communications from Iran urging the military to persist with their bombing operations. He described instances where individuals, living close to bombing sites, called for more attacks, saying they wished for the US military to resume their strikes after a withdrawal.
These remarks have drawn considerable backlash, with critics asserting that his threats to attack Iranian energy plants, bridges, and desalination facilities could be classified as war crimes. Trump has set a deadline for Tehran, demanding that they reopen the Strait of Hormuz by 8pm US Eastern Time on Tuesday (10am, Wednesday AEST), threatening that failure to comply would lead him to execute his military plans.