Experts Say Strikes on 2 Iran Water Tanks May Constitute War Crime
Updated
Updated · The Guardian · Jun 11
Experts Say Strikes on 2 Iran Water Tanks May Constitute War Crime
3 articles · Updated · The Guardian · Jun 11
Summary
Two water storage facilities in Bemani near the Strait of Hormuz were damaged in a 10 June strike, potentially disrupting supply for about 20,000 nearby residents.
Legal and military experts said the attack could amount to a war crime if the tanks were intentionally targeted, because civilian water infrastructure is lawful to hit only if it is a military objective.
Iranian state media blamed the US, and debris photos reviewed by analysts appeared to show fragments of a US-made GBU-39 precision bomb; Centcom said only that it was reviewing reports.
The strike came after Centcom announced attacks on Iranian air-defense and radar sites near Hormuz, amid Trump's renewed threats to hit Iran harder despite conflicting claims of a deal and an April ceasefire.
Senator Tim Kaine said he will press a war powers resolution and Pentagon inquiries, while experts warned that hitting water infrastructure during Iran's summer drought could be catastrophic and may be unprecedented for the US military.