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‘What would be left of international legal order’: Araghchi on US strikes
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi has argued that US-Israeli strikes on Iran violated international law and the country’s sovereignty. He says the issue reaches beyond the dispute between Iran and the United States, challenging the principle that states must follow binding rules on the use of force.
Writing in an opinion piece for Japan’s Kyodo News, Araghchi said the strikes had no UN Security Council authorisation and, in his view, did not meet the conditions for self-defence under Article 51 of the UN Charter. He also cited attacks on schools, sports stadiums, civilian infrastructure and safeguarded Iranian nuclear facilities, saying they raise further questions under international humanitarian law.
In short
- Araghchi says US-Israeli strikes violated international law.
- He argues there was no UN authorisation or valid self-defence basis.
- Attacks on civilian sites and safeguarded facilities raise further legal questions.
Steelman: both sides, in good faith
The strongest fair case each way — we don't pick a winner.
The case for
If the strikes lacked UN Security Council authorisation and were not a necessary response to an armed attack, they would breach the UN Charter’s limits on force and undermine the sovereignty of states. Alleged attacks on civilian sites and safeguarded nuclear facilities also warrant scrutiny under humanitarian law; enforcing these rules consistently helps protect civilians and preserve a predictable international order.
The case against
Those defending the strikes could argue that force was justified as self-defence if there was a sufficiently imminent threat, and that the absence of Security Council approval does not rule out that justification under Article 51. They would also stress that claims about targets and civilian harm require independent verification, and that the legality of each strike depends on its specific military purpose, precautions and effects.
Explained simply
International law sets rules for when countries may use force against one another. The United Nations Charter generally bars force against another state, with exceptions including self-defence and action authorised by the UN Security Council.
Abbas Araghchi is Iran’s foreign minister, and the United States and Israel are the countries he accuses of carrying out the strikes. His argument centres on whether those actions met the Charter’s exceptions; international humanitarian law separately sets protections for civilians and certain sites during armed conflict.
The dispute matters because the rules are intended to apply to all states, not only those directly involved in a conflict. How they are interpreted and enforced can affect expectations about the use of force and the protection of civilians.
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