The US Defense Secretary's public declaration that no quarter would be given to Iran constitutes a textbook war crime under Rome Statute Article 8(2)(b)(xii), which criminalizes 'declaring that no quarter will be given.' This prohibition is among the oldest in the laws of war.
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth publicly declared there would be 'no quarter, no mercy' for Iran during the 2026 Iran war.
Declaring that no quarter will be given is explicitly listed as a war crime under Rome Statute Article 8(2)(b)(xii). It is a per se violation — the declaration itself is the crime, regardless of whether it is carried out.
Sources
6
Documents
1
Updates
0
Updated March 25, 2026Foreign Policy & War
War Crime / Crime Against HumanityOngoingReported record
A US submarine torpedoed an Iranian frigate returning from a peaceful international naval event, killing 87 sailors. The failure to rescue shipwrecked sailors violates the Second Geneva Convention's obligation to search for and collect the shipwrecked after an engagement.
The USS Charlotte torpedoed the IRIS Dena approximately 19 nautical miles off Sri Lanka on March 4, 2026. The Iranian frigate was returning from India's International Fleet Review — a peaceful, internationally attended naval event.
Eighty-seven sailors were killed. The Sri Lanka Navy rescued 32 survivors.
Sources
5
Documents
1
Updates
0
Updated March 25, 2026Foreign Policy & War
War Crime / Crime Against HumanityOngoingReported record
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 states, and mass civilian evacuation — consequences of a war launched without congressional authorization.
The Strait of Hormuz — through which approximately 20 million barrels of oil pass daily, representing 20% of global seaborne oil trade — was effectively closed starting March 4, 2026.
Tanker traffic dropped by approximately 70%, with over 150 ships anchoring outside the strait to avoid risks.
Sources
6
Documents
0
Updates
0
Updated March 25, 2026Foreign Policy & War
War Crime / Crime Against HumanityOngoingReported record
Trump's explicit threat to destroy Iran's civilian power infrastructure constitutes a per se violation of international humanitarian law. Combined with the broader war's toll of 5,900+ killed including 595 civilians, this represents a confirmed war crime classification for threatening attacks on civilian objects.
Trump explicitly threatened to 'obliterate' Iran's power plants, which Amnesty International assessed as a 'threat to commit war crimes' -- intentionally targeting civilian infrastructure is a per se violation of IHL.
As of March 21, 2026, the Iran war has killed at least 5,900 people including 595 documented civilians, according to the Hengaw Documentation Center.
Sources
7
Documents
3
Updates
0
Updated March 25, 2026Foreign Policy & War
War Crime / Crime Against HumanityOngoingReported record
A Tomahawk cruise missile struck a girls' elementary school in Minab, Iran, killing up to 180 schoolchildren in one of the deadliest single incidents of civilian harm in the 2026 Iran war. Investigations by the New York Times, CBC, NPR, and BBC Verify confirmed US responsibility.
A US Tomahawk cruise missile struck the Shajareh Tayyebeh girls' elementary school in Minab, Hormozgan province, Iran, on February 28, 2026, killing between 175 and 180 people — mostly schoolgirls aged 7 to 12.
The school was 'triple-tapped' — struck three distinct times. Analysis showed missiles hit a nearby military base and the school but bypassed a medical clinic between them, indicating deliberate coordinate selection.
Sources
7
Documents
1
Updates
0
Updated March 25, 2026Foreign Policy & War
Serious Rights ViolationOngoingOfficial executive action
The US was the sole dissenter blocking Gaza ceasefire resolutions supported by all other Security Council members, while famine and allegations of genocide continued in Gaza. The pattern of vetoes enabled continued military operations with devastating humanitarian consequences.
In June 2025, the US cast its sole veto against a resolution demanding 'an immediate, unconditional and permanent ceasefire in Gaza' — the resolution received 14 votes in favor from all other council members.
In September 2025, the US vetoed another ceasefire resolution, the sixth such veto, being the only member to not support it. The vote took place at the council's 10,000th meeting, where famine and possible genocide were discussed.
Sources
6
Documents
0
Updates
0
Updated March 25, 2026Foreign Policy & War
Serious Rights ViolationOngoingOfficial executive action
The Pentagon's civilian casualty prevention infrastructure was gutted in early 2025, removing safeguards that existed specifically to prevent the kinds of civilian harm documented in the administration's subsequent military operations.
The CHMR program and its Civilian Protection Center of Excellence were tagged for elimination by February 2025.
Approximately 200 personnel assigned to civilian harm mitigation were affected.
Sources
7
Documents
0
Updates
0
Updated March 25, 2026Foreign Policy & War
Serious Rights ViolationOngoingOfficial executive action
The systematically intensified US sanctions regime against Cuba has caused 20-hour blackouts, hospital closures, medication shortages for 5 million chronically ill people, and collapse of essential services. UN experts condemned the measures as collective punishment of civilians.
US sanctions have cut Cuba's fuel imports by approximately 90 percent as of February 2026, causing electrical grid collapse with blackouts lasting up to 20 hours in Havana and longer in provinces.
Cuba's Health Minister reports 5 million people with chronic illnesses face medication or treatment disruption, including 16,000 cancer patients needing radiotherapy and 12,400 undergoing chemotherapy.
Sources
8
Documents
0
Updates
0
Updated August 8, 2025Foreign Policy & War
Serious Rights ViolationOngoingOfficial executive action
The United States sanctioned a UN human rights investigator for performing the duties of her mandate, in what UN experts described as an unprecedented threat to the international human rights system.
Francesca Albanese was sanctioned under EO 14203 for engaging with the ICC in its investigation of Israel.
Sanctions include asset freezes, prohibition on donations and transfers, and suspension of U.S. entry.