(Patria) – US Defense Secretary Mark Esper emphasized on Monday that the US military will not violate the laws of armed conflict by targeting Iranian cultural monuments, referring to President Trump's threat of '52 targets'.

When asked by reporters if cultural monuments would be targeted, Esper clearly stated: 'We will abide by the laws of armed conflict.'

When further asked if this meant that such sites would not be targeted because it would 'constitute a war crime', Esper said: 'Those are the laws of armed conflict.'

Targeted military action against cultural monuments is considered a war crime under international law, including UN Security Council Resolution 2347, supported by the Trump administration in 2017, as well as the 1954 Hague Convention for the Protection of Cultural Property.

Let us recall that the US drone strike on Friday against Iranian military commander Qassem Soleimani has heightened tensions between the two countries, spreading fears of a regional conflict. Washington justifies the decision as self-defense and a preventive measure, stating that Soleimani was behind plans for new attacks on American personnel and interests, writes Reuters.

Last weekend, the US President tweeted that the US is targeting 52 sites in Iran, some of them 'very high level and important to Iran and Iranian culture', if Iran were to strike any American or American property in retaliation.