Operation Epic Fury/Operation Roaring Lion

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File photo of Iranian frigate IRIS Dena from 2021 commissioning. Photo Credit: MojNews, Wikipedia Commons

Sinking Iran’s Frigate IRIS Dena and the Law of Naval Warfare

Legal explainer concerning the location of the Iranian vessel, the attack itself, and the U.S. submarine's lack of attempted rescue.

The International Community at a Crossroads Over Iran: The reawakening of “illegal but legitimate” or the “law of self-preservation”?

"The tensions we have identified are particularly acute when a State faces an existential threat and, as in here, from an enemy long committed to radically unlawful behavior."

The United Kingdom’s Use of Force Against Iran: Walking a Legal Tightrope?

An assessment of the United Kingdom's ability to maintain a legal line between defensive versus offensive operations against Iran.
Wide view of Tehran’s skyline with several tall plumes of grey smoke rising between apartment buildings under a hazy, grey sky.

Was Targeting Ayatollah Khamenei and Other Iranian Leaders Lawful? What Precedents Does It Set?

After Iran’s supreme leader, Ali Khamenei was killed in a U.S. and Israeli attack, a key question arises: when is striking a member of the enemy leadership lawful under the laws…
U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio addresses the press before briefing House and Senate leaders on US military action in Iran, at the US Capitol in Washington, DC, on March 2, 2026. (Photo by Brendan SMIALOWSKI / AFP via Getty Images)

Double Preemption, Imminence, and the U.S. Attack Against Iran

Secretary of State Marco Rubio’s argument that Operation Epic Fury was an act of preemptive self-defense is not credible and does not satisfy the necessary precondition.

Top Questions the Trump Administration Needs to Answer on War with Iran

What Congress, journalists, and the public should ask the Trump administration about its war in Iran.
A plume of smoke rises above road traffic after an explosion on March 2, 2026 in Tehran, Iran. The United States and Israel continued their joint attacks that erupted on February 28. Iran retaliated by firing waves of missiles and drones at Israel, and targeting U.S. allies in the region. (Photo by Majid Saeedi/Getty Images)

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.
A plume of smoke rises following a reported explosion in Tehran on February 28, 2026. Israel's defence ministry announced February 28 it had launched a "preemptive strike" on Iran as sirens sounded in Jerusalem and people across the country received phone alerts about an "extremely serious" threat.

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.
Abraham Lincoln (CVN 72) sails alongside Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer USS Frank E. Petersen Jr. (DDG 121) and Lewis and Clark-class dry cargo ship

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.
Protesters hold Iranian pre-Islamic revolution of 1979 flags in front of the United Nations office in Geneva​, Switzerland on February 17, 2026.

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.
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