Ed Markey: “Members of the Senate, I rise first to express my grave concern over President Trump's recent actions and words that…”

“Members of the Senate, I rise first to express my grave concern over President Trump's recent actions and words that have brought us to the brink of an unauthorized war with Iran. Today I am introducing a resolution with Senator Warren and Senators Leahy and Reed and Booker and Wyden because, on Saturday, President Trump tweeted that his administration is targeting 52 sites, some of which are cultural sites treasured by the Iranian people. My resolution is very simple. It says that attacks on cultural sites in Iran are war crimes. It is as straightforward as that. The President would compound the mistake he has made and turn it into something that could be catastrophic for that region, for our country, for the world. President Trump's repeated threats to add Iranian cultural sites to his military target list is a betrayal of American values. It is wrong. It is a needless escalation which ignores international law and the Defense Department's own policies. Attacking cultural sites is a violation of international law. Article 53 of protocol 1 to the Geneva Conventions prohibits any act of hostility against cultural objects, including making cultural sites the target of reprisals. The 1954 Hague Convention for the Protection of Cultural Property in the Event of Armed Conflict, which has been ratified by this body, also prohibits the attack or destruction of cultural sites. Attacking cultural sites would also violate the Defense Department's own policies.…”