Pentagon distances itself from Trump threat to hit Iranian cultural sites

“We have targeted 52 Iranian sites (representing the 52 American hostages taken by Iran many years ago), some at a very high level & important to Iran & Iranian culture, and those targets, and Iran itself, WILL BE HIT VERY FAST AND VERY HARD,"

An idiotic madman tweets with disregard for intelligence, international understanding and, just plain human decency. What a horror of an individual.

Secretary of State Mike Pompeo on Sunday said that any U.S. military strikes inside Iran would be legal.

“We'll behave inside the system,” Pompeo said. “We always have and we always will.”

Pompeo is obviously not aware of either international law or his own countries past military actions

“We have targeted 52 Iranian sites (representing the 52 American hostages taken by Iran many years ago), some at a very high level & important to Iran & Iranian culture, and those targets, and Iran itself, WILL BE HIT VERY FAST AND VERY HARD," he tweeted.

Remember when the Taliban were destroying sacred religious and cultural sites all over Afghanistan?

First Trump tries to make America like Russia, now he wants to imitate a terrorist group...

And what do the Iranian people, the ones we want to turn against the regime, think about Trump boasting about bombing their cultural sites?

Tilltertson, McMaster, Cohn, and Mattis had it right - Trump is an idiot, a moron, and has the understanding of a fifth grader - and is a danger to the republic - and now the world.

Trump tweeting trash again.

Any decent person must distance themselves from this crap.

Trump's dementia is coming out in force here! Any one of us who tweeted the same things would have their accounts closed down by twitter!

It's just so weird.

First Trump doubles down on attacking cultural sites. I can only guess he didn't know you can't do that or he did know and just didn't care. Now we have the Defense Secretary contradicting him. I guess I'll go with Esper's statement and ignore Trump as just having an emotional outburst?

You also have the letter to Iraq saying US troops would leave, which seemed to surprise Esper.

It's just a big clown show. It would be funny if lives and war crimes weren't involved.

First Trump doubles down on attacking cultural sites

It's his obsession, like when he doubles down on Hillary. He's an old man who can't get things out of his mind. Hillary, wall, cultural sites. He's crazy.

So,

Bombing cultural buildings-no!

Depleted uranium munitions-yes!

Good to know the Pentagon has got its priorities right....

Who thinks this statement is untrue and why?

"I don't care about Iranian cultural sites," Hegseth said. "If they could, if you understand the Islamic Republic of Iran, if they had the power, they would destroy every single one of our cultural sites and build a mosque on top of it."

Wait for the right wing nutters to start with the 'Deep State' conspiracies......

Donny is a prime example of how even an expensive private education cannot make someone smart.

All those years of private schools, college and he is as dumb as ever.

If it was not for Dad's money he probably would have been working at McDonalds.

Who thinks this statement is untrue and why?

Because Hillary wrote it? I heard Obama met and shook hands with the Supreme leader. There is a picture of it as proof.

Who thinks this statement is untrue and why?

lol Because its a hypothetical situation. Who knows what they would do if they could. Silly. And I'd just like to say: If an "evil" state like Iran would blow up cultural sites, why would we engage in the same behavior? lordy.

Any military member who knowingly commits war crimes can be arrested and tried. Not in the US, which hasn't signed the Hague Convention, but if such a person ever set foot out of the US, the could.

If Trump is such a madman to go ahead with this, the Pentagon would have a hell of a decision on their hands.

With apologies to Pink Floyd -

"The lunatic is on the grass...

The lunatic is in the Hall......"

It's weird having a President openly promote war crimes. I guess I took it for granted that it would never happen.

Pompeo ready to justify anything. Scary stuff

I and many stand, support and WE clearly, proudly support POTUS at the ready. If IRAN or any nation wants war with the US, we are not backing down anymore or cowering behind cowards. Too many past POTUS"s have been weak and wishy washy with more talk talk talk that has led to this. Finally someone bold to walk the talk. Whoever said the Pentagon does not support POTUS is FAKE NEWS.

Take the troops out of Iraq and there won’t be a need to attack anyone....

If it was not for Dad's money he probably would have been working at McDonalds

McDonalds would never take him on because he would literally eat into their profits.

"In order to get elected, @BarakObama will start a war with Iran."

. . . . Donald J. Trump (November 29, 2011)

Hmmm . . . Change the names around and change the date from 2011 to 2020 and it's quite scary.

Not sure that he has threatened what are now being called "cultural sites".  And the suggestion that he would - for example - bomb Khomeini's tomb is just absurd.

He may be erratic and appear immature and all, but nothing he has done to date is any more "criminal" than anything done by Obama or the Bushes.  Or even Smokin' Bill Clinton.

The bumbling fool running America, the forth stooge, clearly needs the other three stooges to = 1/2 a brain.

His choices could be bettered by any 1st grader child. He knows of no laws that apply to him. He is the Prez so is immune to everything like superman. Now he is in the process of starting a war with iran to try to get people to forget about his impeachment. However I believe this just adds to the overwhelming weight of impeachment making it ever more important that he go. Or perhaps the Iranians will return the assassination of their General with an attempt on Trump. I cant imagine many Americans being either surprised or worried about the loss of Trump. Some would say, live by the sword, you know the rest.

It's weird having a President openly promote war crimes. I guess I took it for granted that it would never happen.

I sure hope it does if the Iranians get it in their heads to try something stupid.

President Trump needs to stick to his, up 'til now, policy of peaceful engagement with rogue nations. 'Blessed are the peacemakers'.

I and many stand, support and WE clearly, proudly support POTUS at the ready. If IRAN or any nation wants war with the US, we are not backing down anymore or cowering behind cowards.

Cowardice is welching on a deal which Iran was sticking to.

Craven behavior by the US govt for assassinating Soleimani in such a manner, making up stories like "imminent threat" and openly advocating war crimes.

I and millions stand proudly against the US government, which does not represent the rest of the world, let alone all of America.

Bass:. I sure hope it does if the Iranians get it in their heads to try something stupid

An American president promoting war crimes is a bad thing.

Only a weak nation would threaten such soft targets as those cultural sites. It is something we expect of terrorists and those who have no values of human antiquity and its relevance to humanity to do. I continue to be baffled by the utter stupidity and barbarism of Trump and his GOP/Republican supports and enablers!

exactly this:

Former Sen. Joe Lieberman cautioned Democrats vying for the White House in 2020 against criticizing the airstrike ordered by President Trump that killed Iranian Gen. Qassem Soleimani in Iraq last week.

"My final warning to my fellow Democrats: be careful what you do -- either out of a general feeling of opposition to President Trump or partisanship, thinking about the Democratic primary," Lieberman said Monday on "Your World."

"In the end, the American people are not going to vote for anyone for president who they don't think is willing to use American force to protect our security," he added.

Lots of American have become blood thirsty, like Imperial Japanese, 10 of thousands of more victims of war, will die over US miscalculation

America has never worried about committing war crimes before (invading countries without UN approval, torture, use of white phosphorus, bombing hospitals, etc.) so I do not see why it should start now.

An American president promoting war crimes is a bad thing

I don't want to defend Trump, and I'm not, because I'm all for accepted conventions. But, I think these are the context, and sometime context is everything.

Trump just recently pardoned a Seal for war crime, because he thinks not all war crimes are the same, and some are not agreeable to him and his constituents; or

He is not ruling out any option in response to Iranian threats or attacks. In this case perhaps he is referring to Iranian strategic sites hiding in or near cultural sites; or

May be the Pentagon knows something, and there are divisions, and Trump is clarifying 'his' opinion. The commanders may yet refuse to carry out a war crime, who knows it's all hypothetical and far too early to judge anyone as a psychopathic war criminal.

Trump is the biggest terrorist there is on the world stage, and he's proving it. And like many terrorists and dictators, he has a cadre of loyal, brainwashed or braindead followers who will egg him on further, then later pretend they "had no idea" what was actually going on. Why would trump ever follow laws? he hasn't so far, and his aforementioned followers will lick his boots even more for it.

Openly advocating war crimes should be added to the list of articles of impeachment; even though the most incompetent and ignorant occupant of the Oval Office in US history has zero understanding of the issues involved in international relations, ignorance of the law is no excuse. The only "cultural" sites in Iran Trump can visualize are the KFC franchises.

bass4funk: "I sure hope it does if the Iranians get it in their heads to try something stupid."

Seems you only allow stupid for Trump. If the Iranians committed any military acts now it would be justified. Hell, as we speak the WH is currently trying to blame this on BOLTON, and saying the assassination was not Trump's fault. They KNOW it was a stupid thing to do, and so are now back-pedalling and saying they were given bad information, and with Bolton saying he'll testify if subpoenaed, they're somehow trying to pin this on him. Sadly, for you guys, there are heaps of video and tweets of Trump declaring this HIS attack.

Cowardice is welching on a deal which Iran was sticking to.

Not really?

Here are the four most dangerous problems with the deal:

The whole neighborhood will race to go nuclear. This deal most likely will accelerate nuclear proliferation. Because if regional powers feel threatened by the possibility of Iran getting a weapon and the penalty for producing nuclear weapons decreases, then why wouldn’t they?

**Tehran gets to keep its vast nuclear infrastructure and its missile program.**  And the promises from Iran only confirm the obvious: that the regime definitely has nuclear-weapons ambitions. After all, why have a massive ballistic-missile program and secret military nuclear facilities if the plan isn’t to build nuclear weapons?

Sanctions relief will make the region far less safe. The sanctions relief and the renewed ability to sell more oil on the open market could wind up bringing $300-400 billion into the Iranian economy, bolstering the Iranian government. Essentially, this means the deal will pay for undermining U.S. policy and interests throughout the region.

The deal is temporary, by design. Even the White House doesn’t claim it will permanently keep Iran from getting a bomb. So, what’s the point?

The deal enriches and emboldens Iran — an unstable and unprincipled nation. And it destabilizes the region even further and its puts its neighbors — our allies — at risk. It is a bad deal. While the Obama administration insists that there were only two choices — the deal or war — the choices were neither that limited, nor that simple. As Carafano concludes, “This deal is not the antidote to war. Rather, it makes increased conflict all the more likely.”

Craven behavior by the US govt for assassinating Soleimani in such a manner, making up stories like "imminent threat" and openly advocating war crimes.

Uh-huh, then taking out OBL was equally seen as a war crime if you go by those standards. Soleimani opened that can of worms and declared war once he kept the body count up with American blood. Glad that he’s gone. Couldn’t happen 5o a nicer guy.

I and millions stand proudly against the US government,

I stand with the millions that silently smile in agreement with what the administration has done. Probably represent a whole lot more then people are willing to admit.

Only a weak nation would threaten such soft targets as those cultural sites. It is something we expect of terrorists and those who have no values of human antiquity and its relevance to humanity to do. I continue to be baffled by the utter stupidity and barbarism of Trump and his GOP/Republican supports and enablers!

Uhhh...sorry, there are no rules in war if the enemy is willing to do what it can to attack, harm or assassinate you and have disregard for any of our cultural sites, then we can do the exact same thing to them in not doing so you present yourself as weak. This is why I respect Israel so much. They could give a.....

The deal is temporary, by design. Even the White House doesn’t claim it will permanently keep Iran from getting a bomb. So, what’s the point?

By that point the roadmap was for Iran to be better off economically and have better things to do rather than make a bomb with no sanctions. Now Iran will be worse off economically AND Iran has a much greater chance of building a bomb sooner AND more chance of war. Trump keeps winning. To Trump people understand the term roadmap? No, it is not something you get out of a AAA store. But at least fetuses will be saved and the white evangelical Jesus people are happy, so all good with them even though we are edging towards war.

 sure hope it does if the Iranians get it in their heads to try something stupid.

That's been patented by Donny, stupid is what he lives and breathes!!

Here are the four most dangerous problems with the deal:

Cut and pasting stuff and passing it off as your own is disingenuous. Not sure why you keep doing this.

Essentially, this means the deal will pay for undermining U.S. policy and interests throughout the region.

US interests in the Middle East have been malign and the cause of millions of deaths over the years. If the deal brings and end to US hegemony there, it should be welcomed.

The deal enriches and emboldens Iran — an unstable and unprincipled nation.

Straight out of the PNAC handbook. The US and other nations have been destabilizing Iran since it was Persia. As for principles, please. Don't make us laugh. There are no principles in the behavior of the US govt in recent dealings with Iran. It has been pushing all out for conflict.

Probably represent a whole lot more then people are willing to admit.

The world stands against those who advocate and profit from war.

Uhhh...sorry, there are no rules in war if the enemy is willing to do what it can to attack, harm or assassinate you and have disregard for any of our cultural sites, then we can do the exact same thing to them in not doing so you present yourself as weak. This is why I respect Israel so much. They could give a.....

Do you actually follow current affairs or have an awareness of history and context?

I don't know if you're gaslighting or you actually believe the above. There are rules of engagement, as there are diplomatic avenues and ways of conducting yourself.

The US has threatened war crimes on Iran. Not surprising, as it pardons war criminals but still, it must be brought to justice, like any other rogue nation.

You respect Israel because you've been programmed to, with a complete disregard for the Palestinian people who were driven off their lands and almost erased by the Israeli state.

And you are prepared to sacrifice thousands upon thousands of lives, perhaps all of us ... and for what, exactly?

And you are prepared to sacrifice thousands upon thousands of lives, perhaps all of us ... and for what, exactly?

Because Obama made fun of Trump at the correspondents' dinner. Trump is still bitter about that (and he hates Hillary)

That's been patented by Donny, stupid is what he lives and breathes!!

Your comebacks are so painful. Lol

Cut and pasting stuff and passing it off as your own is disingenuous. Not sure why you keep doing this.

I never did and I have put up the link a few times, next...

US interests in the Middle East have been malign and the cause of millions of deaths over the years. If the deal brings and end to US hegemony there, it should be welcomed.

I seriously doubt it. I want to leave that....place as well. But time will tell.

Straight out of the PNAC handbook. The US and other nations have been destabilizing Iran since it was Persia. As for principles, please. Don't make us laugh. There are no principles in the behavior of the US govt in recent dealings with Iran. It has been pushing all out for conflict.

They has well, don’t make us laugh, the terrorist mullahs of Iran for over 40 years have been an eyesore in our eyes, no wonder Israel thinks Iran is a lost cause.

The world stands against those who advocate and profit from war

Don't want to profit, I just want my country and Israel to get as many radials as Soleimani.

I just want my country and Israel

Israel? Why are Trump people so obsessed about Israel? Is Jesus supposed to return there or something?

Your comebacks are so painful. Lol

The truth can be painful to those living on falsehoods, ROFL.

the terrorist mullahs of Iran for over 40 years have been an eyesore in our eyes,

Shortsighted US policies brought the mullahs to power, and the same policies today are making them stronger.

There were protests against the regime a few weeks ago and now they are all supporting them, your eyesores just went septic...

Do you actually follow current affairs or have an awareness of history and context? 

As much as you do.

I don't know if you're gaslighting or you actually believe the above. There are rules of engagement, as there are diplomatic avenues and ways of conducting yourself. 

Show me a jihadist that has followed the rules of war for the last 20 years. OBL didn’t Khalid Sheik Muhammad didn’t, Soleimani didn’t, I could go on an on, but I won’t, so yeah, if we do, will the Netherlands or Switzerland stop us?

The US has threatened war crimes on Iran.

Iran started back in 1979 after overrunning our embassy and taking the staff hostage for 444 days and Carter did nothing to stop it. Thank God Trump didn’t make that same mistake.

Not surprising, as it pardons war criminals but still, it must be brought to justice, like any other rogue nation.

Ok.

You respect Israel because you've been programmed to

You’ve been programmed to hate them.

Personally, I respect Israel because they are the only true democracy in the Middle East and also they are unapologetic when it comes to defending themselves and will do whatever they can’t do the fender nation even if that means destroying another.

I never did and I have put up the link a few times, next...

You've cut and pasted a swathe of opinion in that post. Without a link.

Iran started back in 1979 after overrunning our embassy and taking the staff hostage for 444 days and Carter did nothing to stop it. Thank God Trump didn’t make that same mistake.

Iran (Persia) being meddled with started long before '79 with the Pahlavi coup, back in the 20s, being supported by the British, and later, by the US. It seems Trump and his followers are stuck in the 70s and 80s, completely unaware of history.

Personally, I respect Israel because they are the only true democracy in the Middle East 

They are a nation which subjugates and brutalizes the Palestinian people and it operates a system of apartheid, with a corrupt leader in Netanyahu.

That is not a democracy.

Don't want to profit, I just want my country and Israel to get as many radials as Soleimani.

I don't know what a "radial" is, but was Soleimani one when he fought with the Kurdish Peshmerga to rid Mosul of ISIS?

@Toasted Heretic;Do you actually follow current affairs or have an awareness of history and context?

Question and conviction is do you? So far you have given no substantial evidence to support your post. That area has been in wars since before the US was even founded.

You’ve been programmed to hate them.

I don't even think about Israel (unless Trump people bring it up). Why are Trump people so obsessed about Israel?

Do you actually follow current affairs or have an awareness of history and context?

Right wing nutters talking about history, oh the irony!!!!

I suggest not going there because what comes out of history will put an egg on your face!!

A mad man

Imagine the furor if the Iranians openly stated targeting American cultural sites IN America.

Imagine the furor if the Iranians openly stated targeting American cultural sites IN America.

One remembers the (justifiable) worldwide outrage when the Taliban blew up the Bamiyan Buddhas in Afghanistan.

Not only is Trump a threat to the Middle East but also seems to be intent on inviting strikes on American soil and Americans across the world.

And yet, his advocating war crimes is being applauded by some.

Or imagine if a eulogist at the funeral suggested to put a 80 million dollar bounty on the head of the US President and Iran didnt immediately distance themselves from the comment?

and an American citizen from Hollywood then said he would do it for half price?

Or an ex football player recommended Iran to bomb the White House?

Imagine if......

(wait, these happened.)

Or imagine if a eulogist at the funeral suggested to put a 80 million dollar bounty on the head of the US President and Iran didnt immediately distance themselves from the comment?

That's a restrained suggestion, if indeed, it's true. Trump has threatened several countries now, with "fire and fury" being the most memorable.

I can't see any difference between US and Iranian rhetoric at this moment in time.

I will not mourn his passing, rather in the way the General was taken out. Under very dubious circumstances, one might add. An "imminent attack", which appears to be as credible as the WMD/45 minutes justification for the illegal invasion of Iraq.

However, Soleimani is not the total black and white villain that some here paint him as.

And whilst there's little doubt that he was responsible for many deaths, the same applies to the US.

Unpopular as my prior comments are, the facts remain that DT has done nothing worse than acts committed by many of his predecessors.  And anyone who thinks that Iran was going to give up its nuclear weapon aspirations because of a "deal" with the world is likely deluded.

The amount of irrational anti Trump vitriol on JT is a little too much sometimes.

I see a YUUUGE difference in liberal response to the rhetoric. None of you are mad when Iran says or does something. They are not condemned in any way and there is no expectation by you of them not to attack the USA again.

Liberals on tv disputing if an attack was really "imminent", if it was reallllly legal or not, poor Iran getting bullied, Trump is thinking about war crimes, we gonna destroy their cultural sites (gasp!) . Soleimani wasnt such a bad guy after all, not really sure.

Its ridiculous. Things like this are going to make Iran think liberals actually dont mind if they retaliate against the USA. Instead of everyone uniting and telling them there will be consequences, liberals trying to protect them so they can attack again.

I can't see any difference between US and Iranian rhetoric at this moment in time.

And anyone who thinks that Iran was going to give up its nuclear weapon aspirations

But they were doing this

President Trump should steer clear of conflict with Iran, or any other country, at all costs. It's not worth it.

 None of you are mad when Iran says or does something. 

They weren't doing anything that broke the deal. But the insane Trump posse kept needling away, inflaming tensions and threatening, threatening, threatening.

And now Pompeo and other whiners complain that the response from Europe and others isn't "helpful".

Proud to be "unhelpful" and stand up to the war machine who would plunge us into chaos.

 Instead of everyone uniting and telling them there will be consequences, liberals trying to protect them so they can attack again.

Believe me, the world is uniting against the Trumpist administration and hopefully, there will be punitive consequences. Be it by trade, sanctions etc.

Unfortunately Trump is being egged on by his Jewish friends and relatives, Republican war mongers, arms providers and theologically misguided Israel supporting evangelical church backers who all hate Iran with a vengeance or have a profit motive. He must ignore them and stick firmly to his promises to avoid conflicts with other nations.

@bass, seriously, at what point would you ever you say, “Enough”. The GOP can keep the presidency, go ahead, get Pence in, go the full term, but trump is dangerous. So, again, when would it be enough? When American Iranians are interned? When trump nukes Tehran? When only WASP live in the 52 States?

@Concerned, don’t know if you’re being sarcastic, but at "all costs"? No, not at all costs. Ever. Otherwise there wouldn’t be a US of A.

Unfortunately Trump is being egged on by his Jewish friends and relatives

I know you didn't mean it to sound as such, but, just to clarify that not all Jewish people in America and across the world support his warmongering.

And yes, he must avoid conflict but I fear his ego and the need to distract from his crimes will get in the way of that.

This is a major Wag the Dog moment and trump is incredibly dangerous to the US and peace. He must be removed from office ASAP.

I don't care about Iranian cultural sites," Hegseth said. "If they could, if you understand the Islamic Republic of Iran, if they had the power, they would destroy every single one of our cultural sites and build a mosque on top of it."

So....just because Iran might do something if they could (they can’t), the US should do it too?

Pretty lame rationale.

 know you didn't mean it to sound as such, but, just to clarify that not all Jewish people in America and across the world support his warmongering.

I wish liberals would make up their mind, first you guys say he’s weak and now you say he’s a war monger and we’re not even in a war yet. Indecisive liberals.

And yes, he must avoid conflict

Unless a terrorist like OBL, Al Baghdadi or Al Zarqawi or Soleimani decide to attack us, if they do so, take whatever action is appropriate.

I wish liberals would make up their mind, first you guys say he’s weak and now you say he’s a war monger and we’re not even in a war yet. Indecisive liberals.

I do wish you'd stop conflating opposition to a criminal PotUS with liberalism. It's rather tedious and highlights a lack of comprehension regarding the political spectrum.

And I do wonder, why you are allowed repeatedly, to accuse me of being a liberal (which I take as a slur, btw) when I have told you (several dozen times) that I am no such thing.

Of course, you seem to have some sort of immunity for being rude and repetitive here - derailing thread after thread after thread, by constantly reducing every argument or position to a barely literate rant about "liberals".

Should someone call you out on this gaslighting and series of bad faith arguments, they receive a suspension.

I'm sure I'm not the only one who notices this behavior. Even your fellow right wing commentators don't get such free rein as what you do here.

Be interesting to see if this response is deleted, or for once, will be left for it's intended recipient to be read and considered upon.

That's my tuppence worth. I will now do the decent thing and sign off for today. Thanks in advance.