Trump says will obey international law on targeting cultural sites

FILE PHOTO: U.S. President Donald Trump makes a speech to evangelical supporters in Miami, Florida, U.S., January 3, 2020. REUTERS/Eva Marie Uzcategui

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. President Donald Trump on Tuesday told reporters he would obey international law on avoiding targeting cultural sites in military attacks, walking back a threat he made to Iran days earlier.

Trump on Saturday said the United States has targeted 52 Iranian sites, including ones that are very important to Iranian culture, and would strike if Iran attacks Americans or U.S. assets in response to the U.S. killing of its military commander, Qassem Soleimani. Attacking cultural sites, though, would break international conventions and treaties, and the threat sparked concern around the world.