Attack on Economic Infrastructure in Transnational state Crimes: From Inadequacy of Barriers and Facilitating Factors to Effective Obstruction

Javadi Hossein Abadi, Hossein; MAHMOUDI GHAHSAREH, Omid

doi:10.48308/eclr.2026.244966.1283

Attack on Economic Infrastructure in Transnational state Crimes: From Inadequacy of Barriers and Facilitating Factors to Effective Obstruction

Articles in Press

Document Type : Original Article

Authors

hossein javadi hossein abadi ¹

omid MAHMOUDI GHAHSAREH ²

¹ Assistant Professor. Department of Law. Faculty of Administrative Sciences and Economics. University of Isfahan. Isfahan. Iran

² International Law PhD (Paris 1 Panthéon-Sorbonne) – Postdoctoral Research Fellow, Tarbiat Modares University

10.48308/eclr.2026.244966.1283

Abstract

Attacks on economic infrastructure have increasingly emerged as a defining characteristic of contemporary transnational state violence, reshaping the landscape of modern conflict and expanding the scope of harm far beyond traditional battlefield engagements. In the context of the Third Imposed War, this transformation became particularly evident as the adversary adopted a deliberate and systematic strategy of targeting “mother industries,” especially steel and petrochemical complexes. These industries are not merely production units; they constitute the backbone of national development, industrial productivity, and socioeconomic stability. As the article emphasizes, “attacking a petrochemical or steel complex is not merely a military operation with limited collateral effects; it opens two parallel fronts against civilians—an economic‑social front and an environmental front.” This dual‑front destruction underscores the multidimensional nature of harm inflicted through such attacks and reveals the profound vulnerability of societies whose livelihoods depend on the stability of economic infrastructure.Economically, the paralysis of major industries triggers cascading failures across hundreds of upstream and downstream sectors. These failures manifest in mass unemployment, inflationary shocks, disruptions in supply chains, housing crises, and long‑term developmental stagnation. The destruction of a single petrochemical facility, for example, can halt production in dozens of dependent industries,

Keywords

International crimes

attacks on economic infrastructure

principle of distinction

state responsibility

international humanitarian law

Subjects