Trump's War Crimes

A public research archive documenting war crimes, crimes against humanity, and serious violations of rights and the rule of law across Trump's political career, from the June 2015 campaign launch to the present day.

The register holds 309 graded incidents dated from 2015 to the present, plus 14 records of earlier conduct kept as context, off the scale. 158 are ongoing. 11 are graded “International Crime (Rome Statute)”, the highest grade on the archive’s 5-point scale.

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Conduct graded “International Crime (Rome Statute)”, not already listed above.

  • Grade 5 of 5: International Crime (Rome Statute)

    U.S. Naval Blockade of Iranian Ports

    The United States imposed a full naval blockade on all Iranian ports after peace talks in Islamabad collapsed, threatening to destroy any vessel approaching. The blockade — the first U.S. naval blockade since the 1962 Cuban Missile Crisis — is a belligerent act that, imposed in furtherance of an unlawful war, is a listed act of aggression (UNGA Res 3314, Art 3(c)). It threatens 25% of global seaborne oil and inflicts severe economic harm on Iran's civilian population; the US declared a humanitarian exemption for food and medicine, and whether that exemption operates in practice is disputed.

  • Grade 5 of 5: International Crime (Rome Statute)

    Defense Secretary Hegseth Declares 'No Quarter, No Mercy' for Iran

    The US Defense Secretary's public declaration of 'no quarter, no mercy for our enemies' is assessed as a probable war crime under Rome Statute Article 8(2)(b)(xii), which criminalizes 'declaring that no quarter will be given.' Recognized authorities have applied the law to the statement; no court has ruled. This prohibition is among the oldest in the laws of war.

  • Grade 5 of 5: International Crime (Rome Statute)

    Iran War: Crime of Aggression — War Launched Without Congressional Authorization

    The United States launched a major war against Iran without congressional authorization, without a UN Security Council mandate, and while diplomatic channels remained open. The Brennan Center has called the strikes unconstitutional. International lawyers including Adil Haque and Brian Finucane (Just Security) and UN special procedures have characterized them as a manifest violation of the UN Charter and an act of aggression — what the Nuremberg Tribunal called 'the supreme international crime.'

  • Grade 5 of 5: International Crime (Rome Statute)

    Operation Absolute Resolve: Unilateral US Military Intervention in Venezuela

    The United States launched a unilateral military intervention in Venezuela, bombing infrastructure and capturing the sitting head of state, without Congressional authorization or UN Security Council mandate. The administration called it a law-enforcement operation, with military support, to arrest an indicted fugitive. International legal experts, the UN Secretary-General, and governments worldwide condemned the operation as a violation of the UN Charter.

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From further back in the archive

Grade 4 of 5: Critical Rights and Rule-of-Law Concern

Second-Term Mass Deportations: Largest Enforcement Operation in U.S. History

The administration declared a national emergency at the border on January 20, 2025, and directed federal military and law enforcement resources toward immigration enforcement. ICE operations expanded significantly; worksite raids and community arrests became routine. The administration deported Kilmar Abrego Garcia, a Salvadoran national with a U.S. court order protecting him from removal to El Salvador, to CECOT on March 15, 2025; a federal judge ordered the government to facilitate his return, and the Supreme Court upheld that requirement; the administration resisted for weeks before returning him on June 6, 2025 to face criminal charges in Tennessee. The ACLU and other organizations documented multiple U.S. citizens and green card holders wrongly detained. Trump characterized the deportation operations as removing 'the worst, most violent criminals' despite documented cases of individuals with no criminal history being targeted.