Operation Epic Fury

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In this handout photo provided by U.S. Central Command, Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer USS Rafael Peralta (DDG 115) implements a maritime blockade against an Iranian-flagged ship attempting to sail toward an Iranian port, on April 26, 2026 in the Arabian Sea. Rafael Peralta is deployed to the U.S. 5th Fleet area of operations to support maritime security and stability in the Middle East. (Handout photo by U.S. Navy via Getty Images)

Is the United States (Still) at War? How Wars Begin and End

Armed conflict is not a matter of political branding, rhetorical convenience, or domestic law positioning. It is a legal status that turns on objective facts.
A tanker is docked at an offloading terminal.

Taking a Toll

How allowing Iran to charge for transit in the Strait of Hormuz could undermine U.S. strategy in the Pacific and beyond
Collage of the Israel-Iran conflict

Collection: Iran, Israel and the United States at War (2025-2026 Operations)

Experts analyze the US-Israel Iran military conflicts - covering nuclear diplomacy; strategic, security, and regional implications; and domestic and international law.
In this picture obtained from Iran's ISNA news agency on May 4, 2026, the Iran-flagged tugboat Basim sails near a ship anchored in the Strait of Hormuz off Bandar Abbas in southern Iran. Iran's Revolutionary Guards on May 4 denied that any commercial ships had crossed the Strait of Hormuz, after the US military earlier said two US-flagged merchant vessels had transited through the vital waterway. (Photo by Amirhossein KHORGOOEI / ISNA / AFP via Getty Images) /

What the Iran War Reveals About the War Powers Resolution and How Congress Can Act

It is Congress’s responsibility to assert its constitutional prerogatives with respect to the use of force and to rein in a lawless executive.
A woman walks past a giant billboard reading "The Strait of Hormuz remains closed" at the Revolution Square in Tehran on April 28, 2026. The White House said on April 27 it was examining Iran's latest proposal to unblock the Strait of Hormuz, two months after a US and Israeli offensive sent shockwaves through the global economy. (Photo by ATTA KENARE / AFP via Getty Images)

What A War Game Already Told Us About Iran

A war game exposed the risks of fighting Iran with assumptions instead of strategy, and its lessons echo in today’s conflict.
Gen. Dan Caine speaks at a podium in front of a photograph of a ship

Five “Blockades” and One Legal Problem: Naval Enforcement in the U.S.–Iran Conflict

Former U.S. Navy Commander, JAGC Mark Nevitt clarifies the 5 "blockades" in the U.S.-Iran conflict and the different legal issues and operational risks at stake.
U.S. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth listens as Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Dan Caine testifies before the Senate Armed Services Committee in the Dirksen Senate Office Building on June 18, 2025 in Washington, DC.

At the 60-Day Mark, the Iran War is Triply Illegal

Under the War Powers Resolution, Trump must now terminate the hostilities against Iran he began two months ago. He seems set against doing so.
US Department of State building with sign in front

On the State Department Memorandum “Operation Epic Fury and International Law”

Former State Department attorney's critique of the Department's Iran war memorandum on “Operation Epic Fury and International Law.”

On Ambassador Waltz’s Defense of Potential Law of War Violations in the Iran Conflict

Three top legal experts analyze Ambassador Mike Waltz's claims about laws of war and US operations in Iran war.

A Primer on Just War Theory and the Iran War

Leading scholar explains just war theory and the Iran war. An assessment of the Trump administration's response to the Catholic Church.
An overhead view of the Pentagon building in Washington, DC.

In Response to the Letter by International Law Experts

Four experts, who have each served as Senior Law of War Advisor, respond to Letter by 100+ international law experts on Iran war published at Just Security.
Woman sitting down, holding an AK-47 in her lap, in a military base hidden among the mountains in Khalifa, Erbil Province, Iraq.

The International Legal Consequences and Imprudence of U.S. Assistance to Kurdish Rebels in Iran

U.S. policies of funding rebel groups to achieve shared strategic objectives while turning a blind eye to ideology and international law has proven to be myopic time and again
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