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Related: Editorials & Other Articles, Issue Forums, Alliance Forums, Region ForumsHegseth's 'quiet death' strike may constitute a war crime: analysis
Hegseth is bragging about committing a war crime. Hegseth sank an unarmed ship in international waters. That is a war crime
Hegseth's 'quiet death' strike may constitute a war crime: analysis
— #TuckFrump (@realtuckfrumper.bsky.social) 2026-03-06T00:50:20.000Z
https://www.rawstory.com/pete-hegseth-2675597881/
This week, it was revealed that the U.S. torpedoed an Iranian warship called the "IRIS Dena" off the coast of Sri Lanka while it was returning home from planned military exercises with India. The torpedo killed more than 80 Iranian soldiers. It was the first time in 80 years that the U.S. had sunk an enemy warship in international waters, according to reports, and sparked outrage from Iranian officials like foreign minister Abbas Araghchi, who described it as an "atrocity."
In the wake of the operation, Hegseth described it as "quiet death" during his public remarks on Wednesday, Time Magazine reported.
Mary Trump, a psychologist and author, argued in a new Substack essay that Hegseth's comments revealed the "reckless and deeply troubling mentality guiding the Trump regimes military decisions."
"Legal experts have noted that sinking a ship in international waters, particularly one reportedly unarmed and returning from a training exercise, could constitute a war crime under international law," she wrote.
Hegseth fired all of the senior JAG officers because he wanted to have free hand to conduct his attacks without having those darn lawyers telling him that he is breaking international law
Blues Heron
(8,663 posts)UpInArms
(54,740 posts)Is a psychopath and he loves killing
Disaffected
(6,361 posts)How does that work?
Tasmanian Devil
(128 posts)"The exercise in question required ships not to carry any ammunition."
https://newrepublic.com/post/207429/us-attack-iran-naval-ship
Disaffected
(6,361 posts)How the US sub was supposed to know the ship was unarmed (especially since it was no longer participating in the "unarmed exercise" ).
Why attacking a vessel, let alone a warship, of a country you are at war with is a war crime. Is it only because the US has not declared war on Iran?
Does the same apply to unarmed buildings or other infrastructure within Iran?
Ruby the Liberal
(26,626 posts)They don't get a pass for wanton murder under the guise of a willfully uninformed 'oopsie'.
They are bragging about blowing up hundreds of school children in southern Iran, double tapping fishing boats off South America, threatening to annex Greenland and now celebrating the massacre of 80 souls returning to their homes.
They celebrate their alpha-male carnage now, but karma is watching.
Disaffected
(6,361 posts)I'm simply referring to a question of what is a war crime and what is not. And yes, deliberate (if that's what it was) bombing of a children's school and the fishing boats are certainly in war crimes territory IMO. Also, IMO, the sinking of the warship does not constitute a war crime.
hardluck
(776 posts)Milan 2026 had live-fire exercises:
As per the Indian Navy, the primary goals of MILAN 2026 included "operational interoperability, advanced warfare training." These focused on the "sea phase" (February 2125), which included live-fire drills, anti-submarine warfare, and complex electronic warfare scenarios.
[link:https://japan-forward.com/why-were-indias-milan-2026-naval-exercises-important/]
Here's video of the live-fire portion of Milan 2026:
msongs
(73,529 posts)TomSlick
(12,973 posts)International law doesn't quibble about what is and is not a war. What normal people call the law of war is really the law of international armed conflict. If one country is shooting at another, the law of international armed conflict applies.
The niceties of international law not withstanding, I don't give a tinker's dam what Mike Johnson says, Trump has started a war.
vapor2
(4,320 posts)mackdaddy
(1,968 posts)'We' only killed over a hundred eight to 12 year old school girls.
Every time you thing we have hit bottom this admin goes lower.
Also twelve hospitals have been bombed too.
AIPAC-MAGA.
purr-rat beauty
(1,200 posts)Our military did
The should be EVEN more aware of the implications and their duty to the Constitution with this strike than his fucking drunk ass
Shame on them...shame.
calimary
(89,716 posts)Tasmanian Devil
(128 posts)It's not as clear cut, but you can assert that not trying to aid the sailors once the ship sunk is another war crime.
Shipwack
(3,045 posts)sarisataka
(22,489 posts)Why haven't Iranian official news sources supported this claim?
thought crime
(1,479 posts)Hegseth looking and sounding more and more like an impression of Colin Jost's impression of Pete Hegseth.
ColoringFool
(557 posts)Ruby the Liberal
(26,626 posts)Are they taking donations to haul his ass to The Hague?
electric_blue68
(26,710 posts)Ok, the Iranian Government is an enemy of the USA; but we started this military action/war. They didn't attack us. And the warship didn't attack us. 😑
And bombing a Girls' school is beyond the pale! Omg! 😩