International Law Is Clear. Trump’s War on Iran Is Illegal
There's nothing preemptive about the US-Israeli strikes, and there’s certainly no legitimate self-defense claim, explains international law expert Alonso Gurmendi.
“Preemptive strikes” – meant to “eliminate imminent threats from the Iranian regime” and prevent Iran from getting a nuclear weapon.
That’s how the US and Israel are attempting to justify their war on Iran – and if you’re only reading Western media, you may take that as fact. But the reality is, there’s nothing preemptive about these strikes, and there’s certainly no legitimate self-defense claim.
International law is clear. Trump’s war on Iran is illegal. Here’s why:
What International Law Says
Under the UN Charter, states are prohibited from using unilateral force, except in two cases: (1) when authorized by the UN Security Council or (2) in self-defense.
The US and Israel did not go to the UN Security Council ahead of Saturday’s strikes on Saturday. That leaves self-defense as the only possible justification under international law. That justification in this case, however, falls short when considering the facts.