U.S. is seeking new targets for strikes in Iran

Dual-use infrastructure that supplies fuel and electricity to both military and civilian sectors is being added to the list to avoid accusations of war crimes, Politico reports.

Military strategists are reviewing the list of targets, as five weeks of continuous attacks have left U.S. and Israeli forces with almost no purely military targets remaining.

According to Central Command, U.S. forces alone have already struck more than 13,000 targets in Iran. Until now, the U.S.-Israeli campaign has avoided power grids and fuel infrastructure. However, Iran’s refusal to capitulate and the deployment of U.S. ground troops to the region are prompting a shift in approach.

Trump can either send in ground troops, paving the way for a protracted war that is already unpopular among Americans, or target civilian infrastructure, which would violate international law and could lead to accusations of war crimes.

Discussions continue at the Pentagon regarding the justification for such an expansion of targets. The main problem lies in the blurred line between military and civilian facilities, particularly desalination plants, since the military also needs drinking water.

Under the Geneva Conventions, dual-use facilities are considered legitimate military targets. This provides the U.S. administration with a loophole to avoid accusations of violating international humanitarian law.

Photo: yenisafak.com.