International Law Is Clear. Trump’s War on Iran Is Illegal

*Trump announces US-Israeli strikes on Feb. 28, 2026. Photo by US President Trump Via Truth Social/Anadolu via Getty Images*

“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.

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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.

### **‘Israel’s Right to Defend Itself’**

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[2]: https://zeteo.com/p/international-law-trump-israel-war-iran-illegal


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