(Patria) – US Secretary of Defense 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 they would target cultural monuments, Esper clearly stated: 'We will respect the laws of armed conflict.'

When asked further if this means they will not target such sites 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 the UN Security Council resolution 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 action, stating that Soleimani was behind plans for new attacks on American personnel and interests, writes Reuters.

Last weekend, the US President stated via Twitter 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 hit any American or American property in retaliation.