Trump's Iran Ultimatum Threatens War Crimes the US Military Can't Even Execute

The Ultimatum That Can't Be Kept

Donald Trump set a Tuesday evening deadline for Iran to strike a deal or face the destruction of "every bridge" and power station in the country within four hours. By Tuesday morning, he had escalated further, warning that "a whole civilization will die" if Iran doesn't comply.

The threats represent an unprecedented warning from a US president -- and according to military experts and former defense officials who spoke to the BBC, they're threats the US military simply cannot execute.

Iran spans roughly one-third the size of the continental United States. While the US knows the exact locations of Iran's nuclear facilities and major infrastructure, identifying and destroying thousands of targets across the country in a matter of hours is logistically impossible, experts told the BBC.

"To meet this threat literally would be an absolute herculean task," said a former senior US defense official who requested anonymity. "Trump is almost struggling to come up with a new level of threat that he can say with words that will move the strategic needle more in favor of the US here."

War Crimes as Foreign Policy

Beyond the practical impossibility, Trump's threats raise serious legal concerns. Targeting civilian infrastructure constitutes a war crime under international law, according to legal experts. Some analysts said Trump's warning about wiping out "a whole civilization" could be construed as inciting genocide.

Trump dismissed such concerns at a Monday press conference, apparently unconcerned that his threats violate the laws of war that the United States helped establish.

Some civilian infrastructure has already been hit. Iran's state media reported Tuesday that US-Israeli airstrikes targeted a bridge in the city of Qom. Last week, Trump claimed the US bombed Iran's largest bridge.

What the US Could Actually Do

While destroying every bridge in Iran is fantasy, a large-scale attack on the country's power sector is more feasible, experts said.

The majority of Iran's power plants and refineries are concentrated in three coastal provinces along the Persian Gulf: Bushehr, Khuzestan, and Hormozgan. Striking power plants in this region could deal a significant blow to the Iranian regime, according to Miad Maleki, a former senior US Treasury official who led sanctions against Iran.

"You do anything to those three provinces, you cut the regime's access to oil revenue [and] its access to the Persian Gulf and Strait of Hormuz," said Maleki, now a senior fellow at the Foundation for Defense of Democracy.

Vice President JD Vance confirmed Tuesday that the US carried out airstrikes on military targets on Kharg Island, which handles roughly 90% of Iran's oil exports. Speaking in Budapest, Vance said the strikes didn't represent a change in strategy but warned the US could inflict "much greater pain" on Iran's economy.

"The president of the United States can decide to use them, and he will decide to use them, if the Iranians don't change their course of conduct," Vance said.

The White House later dismissed reports that Vance's comments suggested a possible nuclear strike against Iran.

Pakistan Pleads for Extension

As Trump's deadline approached Tuesday afternoon, Pakistan's Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif urged the president to extend the ultimatum by two weeks to allow diplomacy more time.

"To allow diplomacy to run its course, I earnestly request President Trump to extend the deadline for two weeks," Sharif wrote on X. He also asked Iran to open the Strait of Hormuz for two weeks as a goodwill gesture.

Pakistan has emerged as a key intermediary between Washington and Tehran, with Islamabad floated as a possible location for high-level talks if the countries move closer to a ceasefire deal.

White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt told Fox News that Trump had "been made aware of the proposal" and would respond soon. Trump himself told Fox News the US and Iran were in "heated negotiations."

Negotiations Going Nowhere

US and Iranian officials reportedly spoke directly on Tuesday after weeks of indirect talks failed to produce progress. But the countries remain far apart on major issues including Iran's oil sector, nuclear program, and control of the Strait of Hormuz.

Trump said Monday that special envoy Steve Witkoff, son-in-law Jared Kushner, and Vance were leading the talks. But a US official speaking on condition of anonymity said Witkoff and Kushner are handling day-to-day efforts, with Vance only brought in if a deal appears imminent.

"The Vice President may be tagged in more directly if there's sufficient progress made by Witkoff and Jared," the official said.

The Gamble That Won't Pay Off

Trump may be betting that the threat of plunging Iran into darkness will pressure the regime through public discontent. But military experts warn that even a massive new round of attacks is unlikely to force Tehran to quickly agree to a ceasefire.

The president has painted himself into a corner with threats he can't keep and war crimes he shouldn't commit. And as his self-imposed deadline arrives, the gap between his rhetoric and reality has never been wider.