Retired Army general says US may need ‘Nuremberg’ like trials for Trump’s ‘illegal orders’ in Iran war

Sign up for the daily Inside Washington email for exclusive US coverage and analysis sent to your inbox Get our free Inside Washington email Get our free Inside Washington email Email * SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our Privacy notice

A retired U.S. Army General has warned that Donald Trump’s actions in the war with Iran may lead to serious consequences for the president and all those who follow his “illegal” orders.

“I’m old enough to remember the Nuremberg trials and how we’ve held the Germans accountable after… the atrocities they committed during World War II,” Brigadier General Steve Anderson told CNN Tuesday.

“And I’d hate to think… five, 10 years from now, we’d be doing the same kind of thing with American soldiers and leaders that made decisions that were being directed by the president of the United States that are illegal.”

The historic Nuremberg trials took place from 1945 to 1946. They saw 22 of the highest-ranking surviving Nazi officials tried for war crimes and “crimes against humanity” over atrocities committed during the Second World War.

Anderson’s remarks came in response to Trump’s social media post Tuesday morning, in which he vowed that “a whole civilization will die tonight, never to be brought back again” if Iran did not agree to a ceasefire deal and open the Strait of Hormuz by 8 p.m.

“I don’t want that to happen, but it probably will,” the president wrote.

open image in gallery A retired U.S. Army General has warned that Donald Trump’s actions in the Iran war may lead to serious consequences for the president and all those who follow his ‘illegal’ orders ( AP )

Multiple experts and people on both sides of the political aisle have said that many of the president’s threats in recent weeks would constitute war crimes, should he make good on them.

MAGA stalwart Marjorie Taylor Greene and even right-wing conspiracy theorist Alex Jones are among those who have expressed outrage online.

Back on CNN, Anderson said Trump was “not competent” and speculated that he would find a way to avoid the 8 p.m. deadline.

“I think he will figure out a way to either extend the deadline, because there’s no way that he can do what he says he’s going to do, which is to bomb every single civilian target in the theater and in Iran,” he said.

“If he were to do that… it would be the commitment of a great war crime.”

open image in gallery In November the Justice Department opened an investigation into a video featuring Democratic lawmakers including Senators Mark Kelly (pictured) in which they urged service members to follow established military protocols and reject orders they believe to be unlawful ( AP )

In November, the Justice Department opened an investigation into a video featuring Democratic lawmakers, including Senators Mark Kelly and Elissa Slotkin, in which they urged service members to follow established military protocols and reject orders they believe to be unlawful.

The group, all of whom had military backgrounds, issued a video statement last week telling troops they “can and must refuse illegal orders,” emphasizing that threats to constitutional order can emerge “from right here at home.”

However, a grand jury ultimately refused to indict the lawmakers in connection with the video. Kelly described the attempt by the Trump administration as an “outrageous abuse of power.”

“It wasn’t enough for Pete Hegseth to censure me and threaten to demote me, now it appears they tried to have me charged with a crime — all because of something I said that they didn’t like,” he said. “That’s not the way things work in America.”