More than 100 international law experts have signed an open letter expressing “profound concern” over what they describe as serious violations of international law by the United States, Israel, and Iran amid the ongoing Middle East conflict.
The experts say the US-Israeli decision to launch attacks on Iran constitutes a clear breach of the United Nations Charter, which prohibits the use of force except in self-defence or when authorized by the UN Security Council.
They specifically cited alarming rhetoric from senior officials, including US President Donald Trump’s threats to “obliterate” Iran’s power plants, and Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth’s statement that “no quarter” should be given to enemies a declaration that international law strictly forbids.
“We are gravely concerned that the conduct and threats outlined here are causing serious harm to civilians… and that they risk degrading the rule of law and fundamental norms that protect every nation’s civilians,” the letter reads.
Signatories include Jonathan Tracy, former US Army judge advocate; Harold Hongju Koh, former legal adviser at the US State Department; and Oona A. Hathaway, professor of International Law at Yale Law School and president-elect of the American Society of International Law.
The letter also highlights the attack on a primary school in Minab, Iran, on the first day of the conflict, reportedly killing at least 168 people, including 110 children. Evidence suggests the strike may have been the result of a US attack, possibly due to outdated intelligence, prompting an investigation by the US Department of Defense.
The experts warn that such attacks “likely violate international humanitarian law, and if evidence is found that those responsible were reckless, it could also be a war crime.”
In response, the White House defended Trump’s actions, accusing Iranian authorities of “maiming and killing Americans” and labeling Iran the “number one state sponsor of terror” while asserting that Trump was making the region “safer and more stable.”
Human rights organizations report heavy civilian casualties. The US-based Human Rights Activists News Agency says 1,606 civilians, including at least 244 children, have been killed in Iran since the conflict began, while missile attacks from Iran and Lebanon on Israel have killed 19 civilians.
Tom Fletcher, UN humanitarian chief, described the conflict as “reckless” in an interview with BBC Radio 4’s Today programme, noting that “somewhere along the way, international law had been thrown aside,” highlighting a lack of enforcement as the key challenge.
The experts’ open letter has been published in Just Security, an online journal based at New York University School of Law, calling for accountability and adherence to international humanitarian law.
