(Photo Source: vice.com)

President Trump escalates tensions with Iran

Last week, U.S. forces killed Qasem Soleimani, a high-ranking Iranian General, in an airstrike in Baghdad. Iran vowed revenge–but President Trump warned Iran he had a list of “cultural sites” he planned to attack if Iran retaliates.

“Iran is talking very boldly about targeting certain USA assets as revenge for our ridding the world of their terrorist leader who had just killed an American, & badly wounded many others, not to mention all of the people he had killed over his lifetime, including recently hundreds of Iranian protesters,” Trump tweeted over the weekend. “Let this serve as a WARNING that if Iran strikes any Americans, or American assets, we have targeted 52 Iranian sites…some at a very high level & important to Iran & the Iranian culture, and those targets, and Iran itself, WILL BE HIT VERY FAST AND VERY HARD. The USA wants no more threats!”

Trump brushed off critics who said targeting cultural sites for military operations could amount to a war crime. Aboard Air Force One, he told reporters that he would not “play nice” with Iran.

“They’re allowed to kill our people. They’re allowed to torture and maim our people. They’re allowed to use roadside bombs and blow up our people,” Trump said. “And we’re not allowed to touch their cultural site? It doesn’t work that way.”