Trump’s statements about destroying a civilization risk evidencing unlawful intent, undermining defenses by suggesting coercive targeting inconsistent with law of armed conflict and genocide standards.

President Trump’s extraordinary rhetoric threatening Iran’s civilization faced a severe backlash Tuesday amid conflicting signals over whether he was poised to make a deal with Tehran or intensify the U.

Trump delivered an ominous new warning just hours ahead of his deadline — after which he has vowed to attack Iran's infrastructure if a deal is not struck.

The most chilling words a president can utter are not those that signal war, but those that erase the distinction between combatants and civilians altogether.

Rep. Nathaniel Moran (R-Texas) said Tuesday he doesn’t support President Trump’s threat that a “whole civilization will die tonight” ahead of his 8 p.m. deadline for Iran to strike a peace deal. “Let me be clear: I do not support the destruction of a ‘whole civilization.

RNS — ‘For an administration that has been using religious language to justify the war, it’s remarkable that they have completely avoided engaging Christian moral theology on this point,’ said Robert P.