'Stone age’ bombing threat by US constitutes war crime: Iran foreign ministry

Iran’s Foreign Ministry says recent US threats to “bomb Iran back to the Stone Age” amount to a clear war crime, as it condemned the ongoing American and Israeli attacks on the country.

Iran’s Foreign Ministry says recent US threats to “bomb Iran back to the Stone Age” amount to a clear war crime, as it condemned the ongoing American and Israeli attacks on the country.

“The explicit threat to ‘bomb Iran back to the Stone Age’ and to destroy power plants—which are vital for the survival and livelihood of a nation—is a violent and unlawful threat whose primary aim is to instill fear and terror among the civilian population,” the ministry said in a statement on Thursday.

In recent remarks, US war secretary Pete Hegseth threatened to return Iran “back to the Stone Age.”

US President Donald Trump used the same language, just after referring to Iranians as the “lunatic nation of Iran”. 

"When we feel that they are, for a long period of time, put into the stone ages and they won't be able to come up with a nuclear weapon, then we'll leave," he said.

The Iranian statement cited international legal provisions, including the 1977 Additional Protocol I and the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court, to support its argument that such threats qualify as war crimes.

The ministry stated that 34 days into an “illegal and brutal war” by the United States and Israel, new dimensions of “aggression and hostility” against Iran continue to emerge.

It slammed the US and Israel for violating legal, moral, and humanitarian norms, referring to attacks on civilian infrastructure including schools, hospitals, sports facilities, and cultural sites.

The statement cited strikes on a primary school in Minab and a stadium in Lamerd on the first day of the terrorist war as examples of “war crimes.”

It also noted that more than 600 educational institutions, as well as universities, research centers, healthcare facilities, and historical sites, have been targeted in the past month.

Iran further slammed the US and Israel for attacking industrial and production centers built over decades despite sanctions, describing the actions as part of a broader campaign against Iran’s development.

The ministry also criticized recent remarks by US officials, including threats to target Iran’s energy infrastructure, calling them evidence of “criminal intent” and potential acts of war crimes and genocide.

It said such rhetoric constitutes incitement under international law and urged all countries to condemn it.

Referring specifically to threats to destroy power plants, the statement said targeting infrastructure essential for civilian survival is illegal and intended to spread fear among the population.

It cited international legal provisions, including the 1977 Additional Protocol I and the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court, to support its argument that such threats qualify as war crimes.

Iran called on the United Nations, the Security Council, the UN Secretary-General, the High Commissioner for Human Rights, the International Committee of the Red Cross, and all governments to fulfill their responsibilities by condemning grave violations of international law and taking action to hold perpetrators accountable.

The statement warned that failure to respond to such actions and threats would have serious consequences for international law and global stability.

Reaffirming its position, the ministry said Iran will continue to defend its sovereignty and territorial integrity with full determination and all available means.

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