Trump, Iran, “War Crimes” Claims, and the Double Standard on Targeting Infrastructure | Victor Davis Hanson

Victor Davis Hanson: In His Own Words

Jennifer Hayne

News, News Commentary

4.8 • 1.1K Ratings

🗓️ 10 April 2026

⏱️ 92 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

Debate over Trump’s rhetoric on Iran has sparked fresh accusations of “war crimes” from critics. But a look at history—from World War II through Iraq and Libya—shows U.S. presidents in both parties have long targeted dual-use infrastructure in wartime. The real question isn’t just language, but how modern narratives square with longstanding military precedent. It’s a reminder that context matters when judging strategy and intent. (00:00) Trump’s Civilization Remarks (08:14) War Crimes Claims Debunked (40:26) Negotiations and Airman Rescue (48:30) Democrats and Foreign Policy Failures (55:49) Iran War Fallout and Allies (01:15:07) Iran Regime Elites and US Immigration PROMOTIONS: 👉If Victor Davis Hanson is must-watch for you, The Signal Sitdown belongs in your feed. Bradley Devlin delivers long-form conversations on Washington’s biggest fights—from an unapologetically conservative perspective. Subscribe now! https://www.youtube.com/dailysignal?sub_confirmation=1 👉Watch The Tony Kinnett Cast NOW! LIVE weekdays at The Daily Signal and wherever you get podcasts: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLjMHBev3NsoV3kHckydY58R7TaYsizl45v 👉America is worth preserving. Do your part and act now by going to https://www.heritage.org/beautiful 👉Go to My Patriot Supply to see exclusive deals before offers end! https://www.mypatriotsupply.com/ 👉Claim your liberty offer of up to $5,000 in free metals with allegiance gold by going to https://www.ProtectWithVictor.com WHERE TO WATCH: 👉Don’t miss out on Victor’s latest editions of “Victor Davis Hanson: In a Few Words” by subscribing to The Daily Signal today. You’ll be notified every time a new piece of content drops: https://www.youtube.com/dailysignal?sub_confirmation=1 👉 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/2iOoN0xoOoSNvDFlpLLYGY?si=5a9f369acc874c6e 👉 Apple Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/victor-davis-hanson-in-his-own-words/id1566731706 👉 YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@victordavishanson7273?sub_confirmation=1 👉 Rumble: https://rumble.com/c/VictorDavisHansonInHisOwnWords?e9s=src_v1_sa%2Csrc_v1_sa_o 👉 Victor’s website: https://victorhanson.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Transcript

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0:00.0	So everybody got very angry, and it's true that Trump could have used a better noun for civilization.
0:08.2	The Congressman Roe Kana has insinuated that these war crimes,
0:13.1	and he's specifically referencing blowing up bridges or industry plans as war crimes.
0:20.4	And he's equating that to World War II criminal courts, meaning
0:25.3	Nuremberg. Do we know of anybody at Nuremberg that was tried for blowing up bridges or military
0:33.4	industry? The Soviets starved to death. They lost about 7 million people that were under German control.
0:41.3	I mean, they had the two largest encirclements in history where they basically trapped 2 million
0:46.3	people.
0:47.3	10% survived.
0:48.3	They deliberately starve them.
0:49.3	The critics who say that he's genocidal, he should be charged with war crime. They know what he meant. Before we even
0:55.3	went in, he said to the Iranian people, help is on the way. And unlike prior American wars,
1:02.5	Donald Trump for over five weeks, has not targeted civilian infrastructure. He has not targeted
1:09.4	the civilization of Iran.
1:11.6	I know that you and Jack spoke a little bit about the airman that was rescued, and I think
1:16.6	that you guys obviously applauded it like everybody else who was smart did, with the
1:22.6	exception of the Democrats and the Europeans.
1:25.6	I got to stop for you right here.
1:27.6	Okay.
1:28.2	Are you going into the Candace Owens tweet?
1:33.5	No, but you could go ahead.
1:35.9	This rescue of the airman in Iran was very different from the Libya-Benghazi.
	...

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