American Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said the United States would continue to strike Iran fiercely, and called for "no survivors, no mercy."

Some international organizations criticized American Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth for claiming that the US would not show "mercy" to Iran, while the US and Israel continue to conduct military operations against Iran.

"We will continue to pressure. We will continue to advance, to move forward. No mercy, no compassion for our enemies," Hegseth told reporters on Friday.

According to the Hague Convention and other international treaties, threatening "no survivors" is illegal.

Domestic laws, such as the 1996 War Crimes Act, also prohibit such policies. U.S. military manuals similarly warn that threats of "no survivors" are illegal.

Brian Finnane, a senior advisor at the International Crisis Group (a think tank), said Hegseth's statements seem to violate these standards.

"These statements are very notable," Finnane told Al Jazeera by phone, "it raises questions: Is this aggressive and lawless rhetoric being translated into actual battlefield tactics?"

But Hegseth publicly dismissed concerns about international law, claiming he would not abide by any "stupid rules of engagement" or participate in any "politically correct war."

His statements have raised concerns among some experts, who believe that measures aimed at preventing civilian casualties are being ignored in favor of a "maximum kill" war.

Before making these remarks, the U.S. conducted an air strike on a girls' school in southern Iran, killing more than 170 people, most of whom were children. The war has resulted in at least 1,444 Iranian deaths and millions displaced.

"Inhumane and counterproductive"

The prohibition on declaring "no survivors" dates back over a century, part of efforts to regulate wartime behavior.

The post-World War II Nuremberg trials upheld this legal standard, with Nazi officials prosecuted in certain cases for refusing to offer aid to enemy forces.

"The basic idea is that executing those who have laid down their arms is both inhumane and counterproductive," Finnane said.

He added that government officials "simply declaring no survivors" could itself constitute a war crime.

The U.S. and Israel have already faced accusations of violating international law in their war against Iran. Experts condemned their first strike on February 28 as an "unprovoked provocation" and considered the conflict an illegal invasion.

An American submarine sank the Iranian warship "Iris Dena" near the coast of Sri Lanka, which was returning from naval exercises in India. Iranian officials lodged a protest. The attack killed at least 84 people.

Although warships are considered legitimate military targets, the Iranians claimed the vessel was not fully armed, raising questions: Could interception have been used instead of sinking it?

It is alleged that U.S. forces refused to participate in the rescue operation for the "Iris Dena," despite the Geneva Conventions largely requiring assistance to遇难 ships. In the end, the Sri Lankan navy participated in rescuing survivors from the wreckage.

In response to the attack, Iranian Foreign Minister Hegseth described the sinking of the ship as "a death in silence." He also told reporters, "We are fighting for victory."

U.S. President Donald Trump himself had questioned why the ship was sunk rather than captured.

"One of my generals said, '[Sir, it's more fun]'", Trump said.

"Serious warning signal"

For decades, the U.S. military has been criticized for causing civilian casualties in military operations.

This includes the so-called global war on terror, during which airstrikes killed thousands of civilians, including an attack on a wedding in Afghanistan in 2008.

Even before the war with Iran, the Trump administration faced accusations of violating international law for attacking suspected drug trafficking vessels in the Caribbean and the eastern Pacific Ocean.

Since the attack on September 2nd, at least 157 people have died.

Although the Pentagon never confirmed the identities of the victims or provided any evidence against them, scholars have condemned these attacks as a campaign of extrajudicial executions.

Analysts point out that the Pentagon's policy emphasizing lethality at the expense of human rights has extended to its war against Iran.

"Death and destruction from the sky, we are fearless. Our troops have the highest authority granted personally by the president and myself," Hegseth said at a briefing on March 4.

"Our rules of engagement are bold, precise, designed to unleash American power, not to restrain it."

Sara Yager, director of Human Rights Watch in Washington, called these statements shocking.

"I've worked with the U.S. military for twenty years, and I'm shocked by these statements. Senior leaders' words are crucial because they help shape the operational environment for the U.S. military," Yager said.

"From the perspective of preventing atrocities, statements that ignore legal constraints are a serious warning signal."

Although the impact of Hegseth's statements on combat operations remains uncertain, a recent report by the monitoring organization Airwars indicated that the U.S. and Israeli military actions against Iran are proceeding at a speed far exceeding other military operations in modern history.

The report showed that in the first two days of the war, the U.S. alone dropped nearly $560 million worth of munitions. Airwars stated that the number of targets struck by the U.S. and Israel in the first 100 hours after the war began exceeded the total of the first six months of the U.S. campaign against ISIS.

After Hegseth made these remarks on Friday, Senator Jeff Merkley condemned the Pentagon chief as a "dangerous amateur." He cited the attack on the Iranian girls' school as an example of the consequences of such statements.

"His 'no hesitation' rules of engagement prevented him from distinguishing between civilian schools and military targets," Merkley posted on social media.

"As a result, an American missile killed more than 150 female students and teachers."

Source: Al Jazeera

Original: toutiao.com/article/7616921237859664418/

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