Brian Finucane
@bcfinucane
Senior Adviser, US Program, International Crisis Group. Editor at Just Security. Non-Resident Senior Fellow at Reiss Center on Law and Security at NYU Law. Ex State Dept Lawyer. War Powers| Use of Force| Counterterrorism| Law of War| War Crimes| Arms Sales
Completely lawless to deliberately target civilians at sea. What kind of country would do such a thing? Also, do you think CENTCOM talks to SOUTHCOM and JSOC about the boat strikes?
Another "salami-slicing" War Powers report w/r/t hostilities with Iran has surfaced—this one from 29 June pertaining to US strikes on 26 and 28 June. The point of these reports is to support the fiction that somehow these strikes are distinct hostilities governed by a different clock under the WPR.
Another "salami slicing" War Powers report, this time w/r/t strikes against Iran on 7 July. By treating specific rounds of airstrikes as if they are discrete hostilities, the Trump administration is pretending as though the War Powers Resolution's 60-day clock hasn't already been run out.
POTUS announces the US is reinstating the blockade of Iran and that the US will be collecting tolls on traffic through the Strait of Hormuz. Because of course. Every day a new adventure in lawlessness.
Trump’s illegal war with Iran continues. “The strikes are being carried out at the direction of the Commander in Chief.” That’s not a legal basis for military action in these circumstances.
"Iran does not control the Strait of Hormuz." In that case, must be completely smooth sailing through the Strait. No problemo.
Needless to say, "retribution" is not a lawful basis for POTUS to use military force under either US or international law. Trump does love posting imagery of his airstrikes though. War for the spectacle and content.
Bombing Iran to get out of the mess caused by bombing Iran. The best time to worry about the freedom of navigation in the Strait of Hormuz was when deciding whether or not to launch an illegal and unnecessary war in the first place.
But I was informed that hostilities had terminated… In the wake of the recent congressional vote opposing further hostilities against Iran, this U.S. military action is even more illegal.
Weird Almost like it is possible to interdict suspected drug boats without killing everyone onboard.
I was particularly stoked on this hike to show my boys an ibex in the wild.
‘President of Peace’ U.S. forces remain engaged in hostilities against Iran. And Trump continues to violate the U.S. Constitution, especially after the historic vote by both houses of Congress opposing this illegal, unconstitutional war.
More lawless killing in the Trump administration’s boat bombing campaign. Real killing in a phony armed conflict with “narco-terrorists.” This strike reportedly left 6 survivors. US record for rescuing survivors alive is…not great.
FWIW, here's the relevant paragraph from the MOU (as posted by Pezeshkian) which refers to the "minimum methodology to be down blending on site under the supervision of the IAEA."
From the NYTIMES version—based on a U.S. official’s readout to reporters. The official version signed today has not been publicly released.
The version of the MOU read out by a senior US official to reporters differs in ways that favor Iran even more:
Maybe they can bring Mike Pompeo out of retirement to sign the MOU in Geneva.
The Trump administration's lawless slaughter at sea continues. The supposed armed conflict with "narco-terrorists" is make believe, but the illegal killing is very real. The term for premeditated killing outside of armed conflict is murder.
NEW: The White House submitted a fresh War Powers report at the end of last week with respect to the US attacks on Iran on 9 June following the downing of a US Apache helicopter. This is a "salami slicing" report. Recall that the administration previously claimed hostilities with Iran... (1/n)
Pleased to speak with SkyNews about the legal & policy issues raised by the apparent US attack on a school in Minab, Iran—an attack which killed 120 children. Trump wanted to do a 'Venezuela' in Iran, but his lawless military spectacle seems to have resulted in the mass slaughter of children.