Posted on 01/06/2020 9:07:25 AM PST by SeekAndFind
President Donald Trump insisted Sunday that Iranian cultural sites were fair game for the U.S. military, dismissing concerns within his own administration that doing so could constitute a war crime under international law. He also warned Iraq that he would levy punishing sanctions if it expelled American troops in retaliation for a U.S. airstrike in Baghdad that killed a top Iranian official.
Trumps comments came amid escalating tensions in the Middle East following the killing of Gen. Qassem Soleimani, the head of Irans elite Quds force. Iran has vowed to retaliate and Iraqs parliament responded by voting Sunday to oust U.S. troops based in the country.
Trump first raised the prospect of targeting Iranian cultural sites Saturday in a tweet. Speaking with reporters Sunday as he returned to Washington from his holiday stay in Florida, he doubled down, despite international prohibitions.
Theyre allowed to kill our people. Theyre allowed to torture and maim our people. Theyre allowed to use roadside bombs and blow up our people. And were not allowed to touch their cultural sites? It doesnt work that way, Trump said.
The targeted killing of Soleimani sparked outrage in the Middle East, including in Iraq, where more than 5,000 American troops are still on the ground 17 years after the U.S. invasion. Iraqs parliament voted Sunday in favor of a nonbinding resolution calling for the expulsion of the American forces.
Trump said the U.S. wouldnt leave without being paid for its military investments in Iraq over the years then said if the troops do have to withdraw, he would hit Baghdad with economic penalties.
(Excerpt) Read more at yahoo.com ...
He added: Were not leaving until they pay us back for it.
We are not at war with the Iranian people but their rotten theocratic government. No reason to have cultural sites involved.
Dear President Trump. Please do not even think of doing this.
Lying article. He DID NOT propose bombing their cultural sites! Very clear, to anyone who understands English.
what would be a ‘cultural site’?
Persians have a rich and long culture. There are 23 UNESCO World Heritage sites in Iran.
We are not at war with the Iranian people but their rotten theocratic government. No reason to have cultural sites involved.
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I agree with this sentiment. It would be a bad way to lose favor with Iranian people, many of whom would love to get out from under the oppressive regime, as well as with world opinion.... but.... I have to think there is a reason Trump is saying this. They must have intel Iran wants to hide/shield assets at cultural sites
I read that the sites the president is talking about are not ancient cultural sites but, those erected by the Theocracy shortly after they came to power in 1979 and Iranians have been compelled to use in homage to the Ayatollahs.
Trump is creating a diversion by these statements.
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There are far more important targets, strategically.
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Likely the first strike would be to blind Iran, destroy all their radar sites and block their satellite transmissions.
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That would allow our armed drones to roam Iran. The Ayatollahs need to find ear plugs.
Trump needs to hunt down Soleimani’s replacement and put a boot in his ass as well.
Next!
Trump just needs to step down from this. There are plenty of military targets and weapons of mass destruction sites in Iran. Let the Iranian people once they are free from this theocracy take care of the Ayatollah stuff.
That pretty much eliminates anyone at AP, Yahoo, or any MSM news desk.
And most who went to state-sponsored public school in the last 20 years.
I'm pretty sure the concern is really about military activity going on at cultural sites under the assumption that they are untouchable.
In my view, locating a nuclear enrichment facility in the basement of a historically important mosque ought to be considered a War Crime.
Muslims use human shields. I think they also use cultural shields. If we have evidence of this, we should be justified in taking out the site. We need to stop approach military matters with the idea that WE are constrained in a thousand ways and our enemies are not constrained at all. That's just BS.
Notice that the commie media says NOTHING when it comes to Iran threatening to bomb Tel Aviv and Haifa, that’s fine. Its like 2006 all over again when the media defended Hamas over Israel, some things never change
RE: Trump needs to hunt down Soleimanis replacement and put a boot in his ass as well.
The replacement according to Colonel Douglas McGregor is a younger man who has been Soleimani’s deputy since 1997, long enough to learn the terrorism trade.
We can be assured that he will not be as open in his travels as his former mentor. Most of his planning will be in some nondescript building or bunker somewhere.
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