Senator says targeting Iran civilians would be ‘black mark’ on US military

Senator Mark Kelly warned that targeting civilian infrastructure in Iran would damage the reputation of the US military and could violate international law.

“Threatening to target power plants and other non-military targets is not strength,” Kelly said, adding such actions could become “a black mark on our military and our country.”

Kelly said orders to strike civilian infrastructure “with no valid military purpose” would likely breach the laws of armed conflict.

“Illegal orders to make civilians suffer would be a black mark on our military and our country,” he said.

Threatening to target power plants and other non-military targets is not strength. If those words become orders to destroy civilian infrastructure with no valid military purpose, it’s hard to see how they would not violate the laws of armed conflict. America leads best with… pic.twitter.com/7uRSAjcNjd

— Senator Mark Kelly (@SenMarkKelly) April 7, 2026