Hegseth Calling Rules of Engagement ‘Stupid,’ Critics Warn, Opens Door to War Crimes in Iran

US Pentagon Secretary Pete Hegseth's dismissal on Monday of what he called "stupid rules of engagement" in the illegal war against Iran amounted to an invitation for American and allied forces to commit war crimes, human rights organizations and other critics warned.

Hegseth's remarks came during a press conference alongside the top US general, Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Dan Caine. The Pentagon chief boasted that the US is "unleashing the most lethal and precise air power campaign in history," "all on our terms with maximum authorities," unbound by "stupid rules of engagement," and undeterred by "what so-called international institutions say"—an apparent reference to the United Nations.

Hegseth, an accused war criminal who successfully lobbied President Donald Trump to pardon alleged or convicted war criminals during his first White House term, also praised Israel for its willingness to dispense with rules of engagement, "unlike so many of our traditional allies who wring their hands and clutch their pearls, hemming and hawing about the use of force."

Human Rights Watch (HRW) said in a statement Monday that "these remarks are concerning in light of Hegseth’s actions in the past year that have weakened US military posts and mechanisms intended to ensure compliance with international humanitarian law, also known as the laws of war."

"Rules of engagement are official military directives that tell military forces when, where, how, and against whom force may be used. They must always be in accordance with the laws of war," said HRW. "Hegseth abolished 'civilian environment teams' and other mechanisms intended to limit harm to civilians during operations. The 2026 National Defense Strategy omitted references to civilian protection and the Defense Department rolled back restrictions on its use of antipersonnel landmines and moved ahead with cluster munitions procurement despite these weapons' foreseeable immediate and long-term harm to civilians."

"Human Rights Watch will endeavor to assess whether these Defense Department actions unlawfully increase the risk of harm to civilians during US military operations," the group added. "US civilian and military officials should reaffirm US compliance with the laws of war and restore the personnel and oversight structures that help protect civilians during armed conflict."

Historian Seth Cotlar wrote on social media that Hegseth's comments underscored that "we are a rogue murder state now, and positively proud of it."

The Pentagon chief's remarks came days after a girls' school in Iran was bombed, allegedly by US or Israeli forces. The US Central Command said it was "looking into" the attack, which killed 165 people—most of them girls between the ages of 7 and 12. The Guardian notes that the school was "adjacent to a cluster of buildings that form the local Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) barracks and support buildings."

An Al Jazeera investigation concluded the school strike was likely "deliberate."

The Euro-Mediterranean Human Rights Monitor said in a statement over the weekend that "any deliberate attack on a school or on civilians, as well as any indiscriminate or disproportionate attack that violates the principles of distinction and proportionality, constitutes a grave breach and may amount to a war crime where intent to target the school is established or where the attack is indiscriminate or disproportionate."

Hegseth has previously derided limitations on US troops' conduct overseas as "stupid." During remarks to hundreds of generals last year, the Pentagon chief declared that we "untie the hands of our warfighters to intimidate, demoralize, hunt, and kill the enemies of our country."

"We unleash overwhelming and punishing violence on the enemy," Hegseth said at the time. "No more politically correct and overbearing rules of engagement."