Pompeo falsely claims Trump did not say he’d go after Iranian cultural sites

Secretary of State Mike Pompeo falsely claimed on Fox News that President Donald Trump did not threaten to target Iranian cultural sites.

Pompeo’s claim came when host Maria Bartiromo asked about a tweet in which Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., said Trump was advocating for a war crime.

"President Trump didn't say he'd go after a cultural site," Pompeo said. "Read what he said very closely."

We read what Trump said closely. In a series of tweets, the president issued a warning to Iran, saying the United States has "targeted 52 Iranian sites" it could strike if Iran were to attack.

Trump’s twitter thread came after the United States killed Iranian military commander Qasem Soleimani in an airstrike aimed at an airport in Baghdad, Iraq.

"Iran is talking very boldly about targeting certain USA assets as revenge for our ridding the world of their terrorist leader," Trump said.

....targeted 52 Iranian sites (representing the 52 American hostages taken by Iran many years ago), some at a very high level & important to Iran & the Iranian culture, and those targets, and Iran itself, WILL BE HIT VERY FAST AND VERY HARD. The USA wants no more threats!

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Donald Trump

stated on March 22, 2024 in a Truth Social post

The New York civil fraud judgment against Trump and a plan to seize Trump-owned property “is simply a 'taking.' Much like what is done in communist countries."

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 4, 2020

"Let this serve as a WARNING that if Iran strikes any Americans, or American assets, we have targeted 52 Iranian sites (representing the 52 American hostages taken by Iran many years ago), some at a very high level & important to Iran & the Iranian culture, and those targets, and Iran itself, WILL BE HIT VERY FAST AND VERY HARD," he continued. 

Iran has 22 cultural sites on the UNESCO World Heritage List. Some pundits and politicians, such as Ocasio-Cortez, argued that strikes against them could be considered war crimes under international law. 

The Geneva Conventions prohibit "acts of hostility directed against the historic monuments, works of art or places of worship which constitute the cultural or spiritual heritage of peoples." And in March 2017, the United Nations Security Council unanimously adopted a resolution condemning "the unlawful destruction of cultural heritage."

Hours after Pompeo made his claim on Bartiromo’s show, Trump restated his willingness to go after Iran’s cultural sites while speaking to reporters.

"They’re allowed to kill our people," he said, according to the Associated Press. "They’re allowed to torture and maim our people. They’re allowed to use roadside bombs and blow up our people. And we’re not allowed to touch their cultural sites? It doesn’t work that way."

The State Department did not respond to our requests for comment by deadline.

Pompeo said, "President Trump didn't say he'd go after a cultural site."

On Twitter, Trump said the United States has "targeted 52 Iranian sites," including "some at a very high level & important to Iran & the Iranian culture," that he would consider blasting if Iran were to retaliate for the U.S. airstrike that killed Soleimani in Iraq. He later repeated the threat while speaking to reporters.

We rate Pompeo’s statement False.