Karoline Leavitt defends Trump’s threat to hit Iran infrastructure

Press secretary Karoline Leavitt defended President Donald Trump’s latest threat against Iran at Monday’s news conference after NBC White House correspondent Garrett Haake asked whether “potential war crimes are on the table.”

Earlier in the day, Trump posted on Truth Social declaring that various Iranian targets would be completely destroyed if the Strait of Hormuz was not opened immediately. Haake asked about the message and whether the president suggested striking civilian infrastructure.

“The President reported this morning that when he left Iran he threatened to ‘Blow up and completely destroy all power generation facilities, oil wells, hard islands, and possibly all desalination plants,'” Haake said. he said.

TRUMP LIFTS THE SIEGE OF IRAN AS TEHRAN IMPROVES ITS MANAGEMENT IN THE STRAIT OF HORmuz

“Under international law, attacking civilian infrastructure in this way is generally prohibited,” he continued. “Why is the president making a potentially war-crime threat against the U.S. military? And how do you reconcile that with the administration repeatedly saying the U.S. does not target civilians?”

The press secretary quickly responded: “Look, the President has now made it clear to the Iranian regime that their best move, as the statement you just read shows, is to make a deal, otherwise the U.S. Armed Forces have capabilities beyond their wildest dreams, and the President is not afraid to use them.”

Haake asked whether this involved “potential war crimes”, prompting Leavitt to say: “I didn’t say that.”

“And you say the word ‘potential’ for a reason, because I’m sure some expert put that in your ear to ask me that question. Of course, this administration and the U.S. Armed Forces will always act within the bounds of the law,” Leavitt said.

KAROLINE LEAVITT INCREASES NEWS IN THE NYT BALLROOM, ADDRESSES CRITICS WHO ‘DID NOT BUILD ANYTHING’

President Trump posted a message on Truth Social declaring that if the Strait of Hormuz is not opened immediately, various Iranian targets will be completely destroyed. (Aaron Schwartz/UPI/Bloomberg via Getty Images; Gallo Images/Orbital Horizon/Copernicus Sentinel Data 2025 via Getty Images)

“But President Trump will move forward unabated in achieving all of the objectives of Operation Epic Fury,” he added. “And he expects the Iranian regime to make a deal with the administration.”

Haake was then heard shouting another question, which Leavitt ignored.

In his social media post, Trump also claimed that the United States and Tehran were in “serious talks” about ending the war in Iran and that they had made “serious progress” on Monday.

WHITE HOUSE RESPONSES TO CRITICS WHO SAY TRUMP’S GIANT BEAST IS ‘TOO BIG’

NBC White House correspondent Garrett Haake. (Shannon Finney/Getty Images)

“The United States is in serious negotiations with a NEW AND MORE REASONABLE REGIME to end our Military Operations in Iran. Great progress has been made, but if for some reason an agreement cannot be reached soon, as it probably will be, and the Strait of Hormuz is not immediately ‘Open for Business’, we will end our pleasant ‘stay’ in Iran by blowing up and completely destroying all the Power Generation Facilities, Oil Rigs and Kharg Island (and probably all of them) consciously yet.” desalination plants that we ‘touched’!). This will be Iran’s revenge for the many soldiers and others that it massacred and killed during the former Regime’s 47-year ‘Reign of Terror’. Thank you for your interest in this matter,” Trump wrote on Truth Social.

CLICK TO DOWNLOAD FOX NEWS APPLICATION