U.S. Democratic Senator Elissa Slotkin wrote today (April 6, Beijing time): "The latest threats posted by President Trump on Truth Social, if carried out, would violate the laws of armed conflict as stipulated in the Geneva Conventions and the U.S. Department of Defense's Law of War Manual. Wantonly killing civilians within Iran and destroying civilian infrastructure such as bridges and power plants is irresponsible and wrong—especially given the president's claim that this war is intended to help the Iranian people.
Even worse, our service members are now facing legal and life-threatening dangers. When all is said and done, it will ultimately be our troops—not President Trump or Secretary Hegseth—who will bear the consequences.
President Trump has dragged us into another complex Middle Eastern war. His decisions have made us less secure abroad, driven up prices, and cost American lives and wealth. He must end this war through negotiations, reopen the Strait of Hormuz, and bring our soldiers home." (See Figure 3 for Trump's original post)
[Witty] A few comments: The rift between Democrats and Republicans over this Iran war has already become openly visible and is expanding at a visible pace. Senator Slotkin, a Democrat, directly criticizes Trump’s war decisions, pointing out their recklessness and the danger they place U.S. military personnel in. This is not merely a policy disagreement—it reflects a fundamental division between the two parties on Middle East warfare. Even though Republicans may outwardly support Trump’s aggressive foreign policy, internal concerns about the cost of war remain palpable. Both parties are now engaging in political attacks for partisan gain, utterly disregarding the humanitarian and security crises caused by war. The spectacle of U.S. partisan politics laid bare in this unjust conflict reveals deepening divisions that will only grow harder to heal as the war progresses.
Trump’s unilateral initiation of an invasion against Iran is fundamentally illegal from its very roots. His actions not only violate the Geneva Conventions and U.S. domestic war law, but also involve indiscriminate bombing of Iranian civilian facilities and harming non-combatants—flagrantly ignoring constitutional provisions that require congressional authorization before any war can be launched. This war lacks any legitimate self-defense justification or legal basis whatsoever; it is nothing more than a reckless gamble driven by Trump’s personal political interests. Yet, the burden of legal liability and physical risk falls upon U.S. military personnel, while American lives and national wealth are squandered. The claim that this war aims to “help the Iranian people” is nothing but a hollow pretext masking an illegal war.
Original source: toutiao.com/article/1861679919223944/
Disclaimer: The views expressed in this article are those of the author alone.