Israel and the United States at War (2025-2026 Operations)
69 Articles
Aggression by the United States and Israel, Misdirected Self-Defense by Iran, and Collective Self-Defense of Gulf States
Analysis of the legality of U.S.-Israel actions against Iran, Iran’s response, and third-party states’ legal options and obligations under the UN Charter.
International Reactions to Military Strikes on Iran: A Tipping Point for the UN Charter?
Positions taken at the UN Security Council are a harbinger of whether the legal cornerstone of the international order that is designed to maintain world peace can hold.
Top Experts’ Backgrounder: Military Action Against Iran and US Domestic Law
Experts who advised a president on use of force answer a full range of basic questions on the conditions under which action against Iran would be lawful, and what options Congress…
Expert Q&A: Are U.S. Threats or Use of Force Against Iran Lawful?
Experts examine the international law issued raised by the U.S. threats and potential strikes against Iran.
What the Current Crises Facing Iran Mean for Human Rights and Rules on the Use of Force
The human rights crisis in Iran reveals the limits of a legal system designed to restrain force even when restraint carries profound human costs.
The Just Security Podcast: Is There a Diplomatic Path for Iran’s Nuclear Program? An Interview with Richard Nephew
Just Security’s Tess Bridgeman is joined by Richard Nephew to discuss where things stand and what a path forward for Iran's nuclear program might look like.
Assessing the U.S. Article 51 Letter for the Attack on Iran: Legal Lipstick on the Use of Force Pig
Former State Department attorney analyzes U.S. letter to UN Security Council that presented legal arguments for U.S. strike on Iran's nuclear facilities.
The U.S. Attack on Iran Was Unconstitutional
Trump’s strike on Iran violated constitutional limits on the president's unilateral power to take the nation to war—an authority the Framers reserved for Congress.
What Counts as a Win?: Battle Damage Assessments and Public Messaging
The White House's future BDA briefings on the Iran strikes will likely project certainty where analysis still urges caution.
Intelligence Implications of the Shifting Iran Strike Narrative
How the growing politicization of the U.S. intelligence community undermines the integrity of decision-making on Iran and national security more broadly.
Why War? Why Now? Assessing Iranian Intentions and Capabilities
Why did Israel, and then the United States, decide to attack Iran now, even as U.S.-Iranian negotiations sputtered along?
From War to Control: How the Recent Iran-Israel Conflict Risks Deepening the Islamic Republic’s Repression
The ceasefire may stop the bombs, but it will not reverse the repression that has long defined Islamic Republic’s internal trajectory.