U.S. President Donald Trump’s threats to bomb power plants and bridges across Iran if it does not reopen the critical Strait of Hormuz would be a war crime, one of the EU’s top leaders cautioned on Monday, hours before Washington’s deadline expires.
“Any targeting of civilian infrastructure, namely energy facilities, is illegal and unacceptable,” European Council President António Costa said in a statement. “This applies to Russia’s war in Ukraine, and it applies everywhere.”
“The Iranian civilian population is the main victim of the Iranian regime. It would also be the main victim of a widening of the military campaign,” the former Portuguese prime minister continued. “After five weeks of war in the Middle East, it is clear that only a diplomatic solution will settle its root causes.”
The intervention comes after Trump posted a fiery message on his Truth Social platform on Sunday: “Tuesday will be Power Plant Day, and Bridge Day, all wrapped up in one, in Iran. There will be nothing like it!!! Open the Fuckin’ Strait, you crazy bastards, or you’ll be living in Hell – JUST WATCH!”
“Praise be to Allah,” the president added. Experts and lawyers have warned that international law prohibits the deliberate targeting of civilian infrastructure.
Asked about the threats on Monday, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt insisted that the U.S. “will always act within the confines of the law.”
Costa, who, along with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, leads the EU and represents it on the world stage, spoke with Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian, as well as the leaders of Israel, the United Arab Emirates and Pakistan in recent days.
“The purpose of the phone calls was to advance the EU’s call for de-escalation and maximum restraint, the protection of civilians and full respect of international law, as well as to help create space for diplomacy,” said a senior EU official, granted anonymity to speak frankly about the diplomatic offensive.
European nations have increasingly been the focus of Trump’s ire as they double down on refusals to become involved in the conflict, even as Iran’s naval blockade of the Strait of Hormuz sends global energy prices skyrocketing. Several EU nations have rejected requests to use American bases on their territory as a launchpad for attacks — a move Trump blasted online as “VERY UNHELPFUL.”
The United Kingdom last week hosted a virtual meeting of 41 countries, including France, Germany and Canada, to agree on a shared position on reopening the Strait of Hormuz. According to a British statement, those present backed a diplomatic push via the U.N. to end the war and rejected new Iranian demands for payments to secure safe passage.
Iran is calling for vessels to pay tolls to transit the busy waterway, which links oil- and gas-exporting nations like Qatar and Saudi Arabia to the global market. According to shipping giant Lloyd’s List Intelligence, 26 vessels have passed through the strait since March 13, with some paying fees in Chinese yuan.
