The administration has said it wants to de-escalate the crisis but Trump's threat to target Iranian cultural sites is likely to antagonize the Iranian population whether they support the government or not. It's also highly unusual for the US to target cultural rather than military sites, with some critics suggesting such action may violate international law.
"For what it's worth, I find it hard to believe the Pentagon would provide Trump targeting options that include Iranian cultural sites," tweeted Colin Kahl, former deputy assistant to President Barack Obama and national security adviser to Vice President Joe Biden. "Trump may not care about the laws of war, but DoD planners and lawyers do...and targeting cultural sites is war crime."