Hegseth said the U.S. will “keep pressing, we will keep pushing, keep advancing, no quarter, no mercy.“
According to the International Committee of the Red Cross database of international humanitarian law,"the prohibition on declaring that no quarter will be given is a long-standing rule of customary international law already recognized in the Lieber Code, the Brussels Declaration and the Oxford Manual and codified in the Hague Regulations.
" Hegseth did not declare"no quarter" as a direct order to the U.S. military during the press conference. Giving that order is considered a war crime under modern international law.His comments have drawn criticism from Democratic lawmakers, including Senator Mark Kelly of Arizona. Writing on X, formerly Twitter, Kelly said:"'No quarter' isn’t some wanna be tough guy line—it means something. An order to give no quarter would mean to take no prisoners . That would violate the law of armed conflict. It would be an illegal order. It would also put American service members at greater risk. Pete Hegseth should know better than to throw around terms like this."“The U.S. is party to the Geneva Conventions and bound by international humanitarian law,” Virginia Senator Mark Warner, the top Democrat on the Senate Intelligence Committee, said regarding Hegseth's remarks. “Whether it’s the secretary’s comments this morning, or his assertion that the military won’t be governed by what he terms ‘stupid rules of engagement,’ rhetoric like this is unacceptable and actually endangers U.S. service members.” “These comments are very striking,” Brian Finucane, a senior adviser at the International Crisis Group, a think tank, told . “It raises questions about whether this belligerent, lawless rhetoric is being translated into how the war is being conducted on the battlefield.” Marko Milanovic, an international law professor at the University of Reading in the United Kingdom, told theHegseth’s remarks should not necessarily be interpreted as encouraging war crimes, and may instead reflect the kind of exaggerated, violent rhetoric often used by Trump and his senior advisers. “In this particular context, this was just some kind of general political statement, the type of Trumpian hyperbole that one can expect from Hegseth et al,” said Milanovic. “The ‘no quarter’ war crime applies in a different context, if a commander or political leader says that if enemies try to surrender, no such surrender will be accepted and they will all be killed.”Mojtaba Khamenei, had been wounded in an attack and was likely disfigured, while casting doubt on whether he was still capable of governing. “We know the new so-called not-so-supreme leader is wounded and likely disfigured,” Hegseth said. “He put out a statement yesterday. A weak one, actually, but there was no voice and there was no video. It was a written statement.” The Pentagon chief offered no evidence to support his comments. Iran has not released details about Khamenei’s condition.
United States Latest News, United States Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Iran war enters next phase of destroying entire missile supply chain: HegsethPete Hegseth said the war with Iran was entering a new phase, as the U.S. was focusing on destroying Tehran's defense industrial base.
Read more »
CNN Bites Back After Hegseth Lashes Out At Network Over WarThe defense secretary spent a good portion of the week at war complaining about the media.
Read more »
6 U.S. airmen die in crash; Hegseth says Iran's leader is 'likely disfigured'Six American airmen deployed to operations against Iran were killed after their KC-135 refueling aircraft crashed in western Iraq, U.S. Central Command said Friday.
Read more »
Hegseth cranks up pressure on US war collegesFox News Channel offers its audiences in-depth news reporting, along with opinion and analysis encompassing the principles of free people, free markets and diversity of thought, as an alternative to the left-of-center offerings of the news marketplace.
Read more »
Hegseth Whines About Iran War Coverage, Demands “Patriotic Press” InsteadFearless Independent Journalism
Read more »
Exclusive — Under Sec’y of War: Trump, Hegseth Breaking Our Bureaucracy, Making Dramatic ImprovementsSource of breaking news and analysis, insightful commentary and original reporting, curated and written specifically for the new generation of independent and conservative thinkers.
Read more »