Why the US strikes on Iran are illegal and can set a troubling precedent

01 Jul 2025

After the United States bombed Iran’s three nuclear facilities on Sunday, US President Donald Trump was a “stop to the nuclear threat posed by the world’s number one state sponsor of terror”.

US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth , saying “the president authorised a precision operation to neutralise the threats to our national interest posed by the Iranian nuclear program and the collective self-defence of our troops and our ally Israel”.

Is this a legitimate justification for a state to launch an attack on another?