Overview
- President Trump threatened on Tuesday to bomb Iranian bridges and power plants if the Strait of Hormuz was not reopened by an 8 p.m. ET deadline, invoking a waterway that carries about a fifth of the world’s oil.
- Retired Brig. Gen. Steve Anderson told CNN that Trump is an “absolutely terrible commander-in-chief” and warned that carrying out illegal orders could lead to future trials modeled on Nuremberg.
- A United Nations spokesperson and multiple legal experts said attacks on power plants, bridges, and desalination facilities would breach clear rules protecting civilians and could be prosecuted as war crimes.
- Anderson said U.S. troops could face unlawful commands and may have to refuse them, noting a recent Justice Department inquiry into a lawmakers’ video on that duty that ended with no indictments.
- Media coverage showed sharp divides, as Newsbusters criticized CNN for not disclosing that Anderson serves on the board of the progressive veterans group VoteVets.