Troops say that the Trump administration’s Defense Department urged them to bomb civilian infrastructure in Iran, while record numbers are said to be leaving the military rather than kill civilians.

President Donald Trump did make public threats to destroy Iranian bridges and power plants in response to attacks connected to the Strait of Hormuz. Reporting by The Washington Post, PBS News and The New York Times documents those statements, while the BBC reported that some civilian infrastructure was allegedly damaged in later strikes, although the White House disputed Iran’s account of the targets and scope. These sources establish threats and contested attacks, not an order from the Defense Department directing troops to bomb civilian infrastructure.nytimes.comnytimes.comTrump Renews His Threats to Target Civilian Infrastructurepbs.orgpbs.orgTrump says U.S. will destroy a bridge or power plant for each Iranian attack in...+3 more

The Guardian and TIME reported that Trump’s statements raised questions about whether attacks carried out on the scale he described could violate international law. That is an assessment of the legality of proposed or threatened conduct, not evidence that military personnel were told to carry out unlawful attacks. The search results do not identify troops who made such allegations, an order, directive or operational document from the Defense Department, or a confirmed decision by commanders to adopt the threatened policy.theguardian.comtheguardian.comTrump threats cause dilemma for US officers: disobey orders or commit war crimes...time.comtime.comWould Trump’s Threatened Attacks on Iran’s Infrastructure Be a War Crime?

The claim about personnel leaving the military is also not substantiated as stated. The New Republic reported a sharp increase in conscientious objectors trying to leave or avoid military service and quoted Iraq War veteran and activist Perry Prysner describing the Iran war as a breaking point for some people. The provided excerpt does not give a verified total, a comparison establishing a record, or evidence that the departures represent the military as a whole. It also does not independently demonstrate that the Defense Department’s alleged orders were the cause.newrepublic.comnewrepublic.comConscientious Objectors Trying to Flee Military Skyrocket Under Trump The New Republic separately reported that the administration was seeking creative ways to pressure Iran, but the excerpt does not say that officials urged troops to target civilian infrastructure. Taken together, the sources support a narrower account: presidential threats generated war-crime concerns and may have contributed to some conscientious-objector activity. They do not support the stronger assertion that the Defense Department ordered troops to bomb civilians or that record numbers left rather than kill civilians.newrepublic.comnewrepublic.comTrump Admin Now Crowdsourcing for “Creative” Ideas on Iran