Iran Warns Against ‘War Crimes,’ Says Illegal Orders Do Not Remove Criminal Liability

Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baghaei has warned that carrying out unlawful military orders does not exempt individuals from criminal responsibility, urging military personnel not to commit what he described as war crimes. In a post on X on Thursday, Baghaei accused the U.S. leadership of undermining international humanitarian law and sacrificing the principles of human ethics in pursuit of war.

Baghaei argued that any policy calling for the destruction of civilian infrastructure, including bridges and power plants, would constitute collective punishment and unlawful reprisals, which are prohibited under international humanitarian law. He also cited the U.S. War Crimes Act (18 U.S.C. § 2441), asserting that such actions could amount to prosecutable war crimes under both international and U.S. law.

The Iranian spokesperson added that there is no statute of limitations for war crimes and said the U.S. Uniform Code of Military Justice and the Department of Defense’s Law of War Manual require service members to refuse manifestly unlawful orders. He concluded by saying Iran would remain steadfast in opposing what it described as lawlessness and violations of international legal norms.