An Unlawful War

"The UN Charter couldn't be clearer. Its core and most vital norm is set forth in Article 2(4), which without any qualification prohibits all uses of international force except in the exercise of self-defense against a prior armed attack."

"In shallow efforts to offer legal justifications, hawks have called this unprovoked attack on Iran amid negotiations to end the threat of war "a war against Iranian terrorism," "a preventive war against an imminent Iranian threat to US national security," and "a regime-changing humanitarian intervention." These are polemical talking points but not serious attempts to offer a rationale."

"The precedent being set by the US in launching this war of aggression against Iran will long live in infamy, and not only for its victims, but for any hope of a sane, peaceful, law-abiding future for international relations."

The U.S. military action against Iran on February 28, targeting its Supreme Leader and a girls' school while calling for regime change, constitutes a violation of international law under the UN Charter Article 2(4). Mainstream media characterization as a "war of choice" obscures this fundamental breach. Justifications offered by hawks—including claims of counterterrorism, preventive war against imminent threats, and humanitarian intervention—lack legal merit under international law. The action reflects a broader U.S. withdrawal from internationalism, evidenced by withdrawal from 66 international organizations, including 31 within the UN System. This represents a dangerous precedent establishing imperial geopolitics over law-based international relations.

Read at The Nation