European Union warns Trump against war crimes in Iran

Euronewsreports, that on Tuesday, when asked a question from the journalists, Anitta Hipper, who is the European Commission's spokesperson for foreign affairs, replied that “Diplomacy is the answer” to current situation with Iran.

She said, that from a European standpoint, any threats to destroy or damage civilian infrastructure bear with them huge risks for civilian population, and might cause severe hardship for the people in the Middle East and surrounding regions, as well as leading to new escalation. Hipper added, that the emphasis should be put on protecting the civilians and related infrastructure, as well as upholding the international law by all sides to the conflict.

This comes after a series of new statements from US President Donald Trump, in which he amplified his threatening and aggressive tone, promising new bombardments, some of which will target civilian infrastructure such as bridges and power plants. Along with these messages, Trump underlines that this will not happen should Iran open the critical Strait of Hormuz and cease hostilities. Since the beginning of the operation, only a small number of ships passed through the Strait, which is of utmost importance to world’s logistics and oil exports.

A stronger response to Trump from EU has come from the president of the European Council António Costa. On Monday he said that it would be “illegal and unacceptable” to conduct military action against civilian infrastructure, a principle that he applied not only to the war in Iran, but also the Russian war against Ukraine and other conflicts. He further said that the people of Iran remain victim, rather than supporter of Islamic regime, and therefore they would also be the main victim if the military widen their operations. He also stated that the only way out of current war is through diplomatic efforts.

The Strait of Hormuz remains closed for most of the ships trying to enter or exit it. This, in addition to hostilities in the region, has caused a significant increase in global oil prices, which in turn influence prices of lots of other goods and services. Despite this, no side showed readiness for negotiation, with both presenting over the top demands to the other. President Trump intensifies his threats while Iran rejected proposals for a ceasefire, with intent to agree only to a comprehensive peace agreement.

The ban on targeting civilians and civilian infrastructure is one of the cornerstones of international law, which was set in stone in such documents as Geneva Conventions.