Commentator Wiz Buckley criticized current claims of potential war crimes tied to U.S. military strategy involving Iran, pointing to past military operations and raising questions about consistency in how such actions are evaluated.

Speaking during an interview, Buckley framed his remarks by emphasizing the broader perspective of military personnel.

“Well, good afternoon, Emily. Thank you for having me,” he began.

“I want to lead with this. There is not a young man or woman out on the tip of the spear that wants any of this war is the ultimate failure of the human condition.”

Buckley said that members of the U.S. military operate under the direction of civilian leadership.

“So just know that the United States military wants to avoid all of this,” he said, adding, “but we follow the orders of the Commander in Chief.”

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He then turned to what he described as a reaction from critics who have raised concerns about possible war crimes.

“And Emily, I got to be honest with you,” Buckley said.

“Let me lead with this. The people frothing at the mouth today, clutching their pearls about alleged war crimes.”

Buckley specifically referenced Senator Mark Kelly, a former naval aviator, in his remarks. “If the president decides to target infrastructure, and I'm going to target a fellow naval aviator, the guy is just making my skin crawl right now is Captain Mark Kelly,” Buckley said.

He pointed to U.S. military operations during the Gulf War as a comparison. “Captain Kelly flew A-6s in Desert Storm,” Buckley said.

He referenced the opening phase of the conflict, describing it as “shock and awe in the first 24 to 48 to 72 hours of Desert Storm,” and stated that “all we targeted was infrastructure, power plants, TVs, bridges, roads.”

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Buckley said those actions reflected standard military strategy during an air campaign.

“The first things you do in any air campaign is to target the infrastructure,” he said.

He contrasted that approach with current policy decisions, saying the president has taken a different path.

“So the President is actually doing this in reverse,” Buckley said.

“He has avoided targeting infrastructure.”

According to Buckley, that decision was made with longer-term considerations in mind. “Why?” he asked.

“Because he wanted to leave a lot of this stuff intact for the great Iranian people.”

Buckley then returned to his criticism of those raising concerns about potential war crimes, again referencing Kelly.

“So all the pearl clutching and the and the folks like Mark Kelly allegedly,” Buckley said.

“Mark Kelly is admitting to committing war crimes when he flew A-6s in Desert Storm because we obliterated, we obliterated their infrastructure.”

He argued that current criticism reflects inconsistent standards. “And now he's out there saying, Well, if the President does this, it's a war crime,” Buckley said.

Buckley concluded by summarizing his view on the broader debate.

“So man, if it wasn't for their double standards, they'd have no standard at all.”

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