Reference the threat to wipe out Iran’s power stations.
Well Trump and Putin might not know attacking civilian energy infrastructure except when it is being used for a military purpose is against International Humanitarian Law, and the DoD Law of War manual , but the USAF should do.
It will be interesting to see what happens and if fine words are overtaken by “I was just obeying orders”
How does IHL protect energy infrastructure?
Pieces of energy infrastructure that form part of an energy system enabling the provision of essential services to civilians are in principle civilian objects, and as such are protected against
direct attack and
reprisals as well as incidental harm. Insofar as they are normally dedicated to civilian purposes, they benefit from a presumption of civilian status. This means that
in case of doubt whether a piece of infrastructure is being used to make an effective contribution to military action, that object must be presumed to be civilian.
Beyond attacks, the obligation of parties to armed conflict to take
constant care to spare the civilian population, civilians and civilian objects in all military operations is of particular importance when it comes to the protection of energy infrastructure. Parties need to exercise heightened caution when conducting troop movements, maneuvers, and other military activities and when taking up positions in the vicinity of such objects. This requires, e.g., doing everything feasible to understand how different essential systems are interconnected and to identify the most vulnerable pieces of energy infrastructure (at ground, above and below ground level), in order to avoid damaging or putting these at risk….