Legal Framework

Additional Protocol I to the Geneva Conventions — Article 54

Bans starvation as a method of warfare and specifically protects objects essential to civilian survival, including food sources, agricultural land, crops, livestock, and water infrastructure.

Related incidents

4 incidents

Trump Issues Ultimatum: 'A Whole Civilization Will Die Tonight' Unless Iran Capitulates

Trump's explicit threats to destroy all civilian infrastructure in Iran — every bridge, every power plant — with the stated goal of ensuring Iran 'could literally never rebuild as a nation again' …

  • Trump stated 'Every bridge in Iran will be decimated by 12 o'clock tomorrow night, every power plant will be out of business, burning, …
  • Trump warned 'a whole civilization will die tonight' unless Iran agreed to reopen the Strait of Hormuz by his Tuesday 8 PM ET deadline.

U.S. Strikes on Iran's Kharg Island Oil Export Hub

U.S. military strikes on Kharg Island — Iran's primary oil export facility handling 90% of crude exports — constitute attacks on critical civilian economic infrastructure. Combined with explicit …

  • The U.S. carried out strikes on Iran's Kharg Island, a small coral island in the northern Persian Gulf responsible for handling …
  • While the U.S. claims it targeted 'military targets' on the island, the strikes risk catastrophic damage to civilian economic infrastructure …

Trump Threats to Obliterate Iran's Civilian Power Infrastructure

Trump's explicit threat to destroy Iran's civilian power infrastructure constitutes a per se violation of international humanitarian law. The threats escalated from 'obliterate' to a promise of …

  • Trump explicitly threatened to 'obliterate' Iran's power plants, which Amnesty International assessed as a 'threat to commit war crimes' -- …
  • As of March 21, 2026, the Iran war has killed at least 5,900 people including 595 documented civilians, according to the Hengaw …

Strait of Hormuz Crisis: Global Energy and Food Security Catastrophe

The Iran war triggered closure of the world's most critical energy chokepoint, causing the largest supply disruption since the 1970s. Oil above $120/barrel, 70% food import disruption across Gulf …

  • The Strait of Hormuz — through which approximately 20 million barrels of oil pass daily, representing 20% of global seaborne oil trade — was …
  • Tanker traffic dropped by approximately 70%, with over 150 ships anchoring outside the strait to avoid risks.