Defense Secretary Mark Esper on Monday contradicted earlier statements made by President Trump, saying the United States military will not target cultural sites in Iran.
Amid mounting tensions with Tehran, Trump told reporters on Sunday that he was open to ordering airstrikes against the sites. On Monday, Esper conceded that hitting cultural sites that do not have any military value would be a war crime, saying, "We will follow the laws of armed conflict." There are 22 Iranian sites on UNESCO's World Heritage List, including the ruins of Persepolis and the remains of the kingdom of Elam.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
-
Today's political cartoons - November 3, 2024Cartoons Sunday's cartoons - presidential pitching, wavering convictions, and more
-
Why Man United finally lost patience with ten HagTalking Point After another loss United sacked ten Hag in hopes of success in the Champion's League
-
Who are the markets backing in the US election?Talking Point Speculators are piling in on the Trump trade. A Harris victory would come as a surprise
-
North Korea tests ICBM, readies troops in UkraineSpeed Read Thousands of North Korean troops are likely to join Russian action against Ukraine
-
Women take center stage in campaign finaleSpeed Read Harris and Trump are trading gender attacks in the final days before the election
-
US election: who the billionaires are backingThe Explainer More have endorsed Kamala Harris than Donald Trump, but among the 'ultra-rich' the split is more even
-
Supreme Court allows purge of Virginia voter rollsSpeed Read Gov. Glenn Youngkin (R) is purging some 1,600 people from state voter rolls days before the election
-
'Empowered' Steve Bannon released from prisonSpeed Read Bannon was set free a week before Election Day and quickly returned to his right-wing podcast to promote Trump
-
Canada accuses top Modi ally of directing Sikh attacksSpeed Read Indian Home Minister Amit Shah was allegedly behind a campaign of violence and intimidation targeting Sikh separatists
-
Harris makes closing case in huge rally at DC's EllipseSpeed Read The Democratic nominee asked voters to "turn the page" on Trump's "division" and "chaos"
-
'I am not a Nazi,' Trump says amid MSG rally falloutSpeed Read Trump and his campaign are attempting to stem the fallout from comments made by speakers at Sunday's rally
