Hegseth's 'quiet death' strike may constitute a war crime: analysis

[LetMyPeopleVote]

Hegseth is bragging about committing a war crime. Hegseth sank an unarmed ship in international waters. That is a war crime

Hegseth's 'quiet death' strike may constitute a war crime: analysis

— #TuckFrump (@realtuckfrumper.bsky.social) 2026-03-06T00:50:20.000Z

https://www.rawstory.com/pete-hegseth-2675597881/

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth's latest "quiet death" strike may amount to a war crime, according to one analysis.

This week, it was revealed that the U.S. torpedoed an Iranian warship called the "IRIS Dena" off the coast of Sri Lanka while it was returning home from planned military exercises with India. The torpedo killed more than 80 Iranian soldiers. It was the first time in 80 years that the U.S. had sunk an enemy warship in international waters, according to reports, and sparked outrage from Iranian officials like foreign minister Abbas Araghchi, who described it as an "atrocity."

In the wake of the operation, Hegseth described it as "quiet death" during his public remarks on Wednesday, Time Magazine reported.

Mary Trump, a psychologist and author, argued in a new Substack essay that Hegseth's comments revealed the "reckless and deeply troubling mentality guiding the Trump regime’s military decisions."

"Legal experts have noted that sinking a ship in international waters, particularly one reportedly unarmed and returning from a training exercise, could constitute a war crime under international law," she wrote.

Hegseth fired all of the senior JAG officers because he wanted to have free hand to conduct his attacks without having those darn lawyers telling him that he is breaking international law

[Blues Heron]

1. No doubt at all, the actions of a psychopath.

[UpInArms]

2. Hogsbreath

Is a psychopath and he loves killing

[Disaffected]

3. An "Unarmed war ship"??

How does that work?

[Tasmanian Devil]

9. Yeah, unarmed

"The exercise in question required ships not to carry any ammunition."

https://newrepublic.com/post/207429/us-attack-iran-naval-ship

[Disaffected]

16. I'm still not clear on:

How the US sub was supposed to know the ship was unarmed (especially since it was no longer participating in the "unarmed exercise" ).

Why attacking a vessel, let alone a warship, of a country you are at war with is a war crime. Is it only because the US has not declared war on Iran?

Does the same apply to unarmed buildings or other infrastructure within Iran?

[Ruby the Liberal]

18. If only they had the same intel access as Tasmanian Devil does

They don't get a pass for wanton murder under the guise of a willfully uninformed 'oopsie'.

They are bragging about blowing up hundreds of school children in southern Iran, double tapping fishing boats off South America, threatening to annex Greenland and now celebrating the massacre of 80 souls returning to their homes.

They celebrate their alpha-male carnage now, but karma is watching.

[Disaffected]

19. That is a somewhat different topic.

I'm simply referring to a question of what is a war crime and what is not. And yes, deliberate (if that's what it was) bombing of a children's school and the fishing boats are certainly in war crimes territory IMO. Also, IMO, the sinking of the warship does not constitute a war crime.

[hardluck]

20. Milan 2026 did not require the ships to not carry any ammunition

Milan 2026 had live-fire exercises:

The MILAN exercises kicked off with a presidential fleet review at sea. presided over by the Honorable President of India. It showcased indigenous platforms, including INS Vikrant, India's first domestically built aircraft carrier. Visakhapatnam-class destroyers, Nilgiri-class stealth frigates, and Arnala-class anti-submarine warfare corvettes also participated, reflecting India's transformation into a "builder's navy."

As per the Indian Navy, the primary goals of MILAN 2026 included "operational interoperability, advanced warfare training." These focused on the "sea phase" (February 21–25), which included live-fire drills, anti-submarine warfare, and complex electronic warfare scenarios.

[link:https://japan-forward.com/why-were-indias-milan-2026-naval-exercises-important/]

Here's video of the live-fire portion of Milan 2026:

[msongs]

4. can't be a war crime. it is not a war....they keep saying nt

[TomSlick]

11. I understand that you are being facetious but the discussion of whether or not this is a war makes me nuts.

International law doesn't quibble about what is and is not a war. What normal people call the law of war is really the law of international armed conflict. If one country is shooting at another, the law of international armed conflict applies.

The niceties of international law not withstanding, I don't give a tinker's dam what Mike Johnson says, Trump has started a war.

[vapor2]

5. Also war crimes for those Venezuela fishing boats??

[mackdaddy]

6. Apparently the United States bombed the Little Girls School, too.

'We' only killed over a hundred eight to 12 year old school girls.

Every time you thing we have hit bottom this admin goes lower.

Also twelve hospitals have been bombed too.

AIPAC-MAGA.

[purr-rat beauty]

7. He didn't fire it

Our military did

The should be EVEN more aware of the implications and their duty to the Constitution with this strike than his fucking drunk ass

Shame on them...shame.

[calimary]

8. Lock him up!!!

[Tasmanian Devil]

10. Not attempting to rescue the ship's sailors is likely another war crime

It's not as clear cut, but you can assert that not trying to aid the sailors once the ship sunk is another war crime.

[Shipwack]

14. That one is on the submarine captain, too. my

[sarisataka]

12. If the ship truly was unarmed

Why haven't Iranian official news sources supported this claim?

[thought crime]

13. Surreal...

Hegseth looking and sounding more and more like an impression of Colin Jost's impression of Pete Hegseth.

[ColoringFool]

15. I'm Sure It Was A Manly Masculine Warfighter Warrior Attack.

[Ruby the Liberal]

17. Yes please

Are they taking donations to haul his ass to The Hague?