Indiscriminate bombing of Iran’s power plants would violate core principles of the laws of war rooted in the Geneva Conventions and Additional Protocol I which bind the U.S. as customary international law.

Power infrastructure is often dual use serving both civilian life & some military functions. Under IHL Article 52 such objects can only be targeted if they make an effective contribution to military action and do not cause mass civilian harm.

Modern electrical grids are deeply interconnected. Strikes on power lines or plants rarely stay limited & they cause blackouts affecting entire cities or regions.

Proportionality forbids attacks where expected incidental civilian harm including effects like loss of hospital power, water pumps failing, food spoilage or extreme heat or cold exposure. This is excessive compared to the concrete military gain per Article 51(5)(b).

Human right law also prohibits attacking objects indispensable to civilian survival Article 54. Broad power strikes risk crossing into collective punishment. This is exactly what we’ve condemned when Russia targeted Ukraine’s grids per UN & ICRC findings.

scalation risks are catastrophic. Iran could close the Strait of Hormuz spiking global oil prices further and U.S. inflation. They could hit our bases via proxies, launch cyber attacks on our infrastructure, including financial, or target allies.