An open letter signed by more than 100 international law experts is sounding the alarm over alleged severe violations of global law committed by the United States, Israel, and Iran during the ongoing Middle Eastern conflict.
Published in the New York University School of Law journal Just Security, the document condemns the joint US-Israeli assault on Iran as a direct violation of the United Nations Charter, noting that military force is strictly prohibited unless conducted in self-defense or sanctioned by the UN Security Council. The scholars additionally highlighted disturbing language from top American leadership, explicitly criticizing President Donald Trump's remarks about obliterating Iranian power plants.
The legal professionals took specific aim at statements made by US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, who recently suggested that "no quarter" should be granted to adversaries. The experts emphasized that refusing to spare surrendering or wounded combatants is a strict violation of international law and blatantly contradicts the Pentagon's own combat guidelines.
Prominent figures backing the letter include former US Army Judge Advocate Jonathan Tracy, former State Department legal adviser Harold Hongju Koh, and Yale Law School professor Oona A. Hathaway.
"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 experts wrote, warning that statements from senior officials reflect an "alarming disrespect" for established humanitarian rules.
In response to the backlash, the White House dismissed the signatories as "so-called experts." The administration fiercely defended its military campaign, arguing that President Trump's strategy is stabilizing the region by neutralizing imminent threats. Furthermore, the White House castigated the Iranian regime for its decades-long history of sponsoring terrorism, killing Americans, and brutally oppressing its own citizens.
Meanwhile, the humanitarian cost of the war continues to climb dramatically across the region:
- In Iran, the Human Rights Activists News Agency reports that at least 1,606 civilians, including 244 children, have died since the fighting began.
- Authorities in Lebanon report 1,345 fatalities from Israeli strikes since early March.
- Israeli emergency services report that cross-border missile attacks from Iran and Lebanon have claimed 19 civilian lives.
- Casualties have also spread to the Gulf states, with at least 24 people—primarily foreign workers and security personnel—killed across the UAE, Kuwait, Oman, Saudi Arabia, and Bahrain.
United Nations humanitarian chief Tom Fletcher recently condemned the escalating violence as "reckless." Speaking to the media, Fletcher stated that global legal standards have effectively been abandoned, noting that while international rules are clear, the international community severely lacks enforcement mechanisms.
The legal experts' letter notably points to a devastating strike on a primary school in Minab, Iran, which reportedly killed 168 people, including 110 children, on the first day of the war. The US Department of Defense is currently investigating whether outdated intelligence mistakenly targeted the facility due to its proximity to an Iranian Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps base. However, the legal scholars warned that the catastrophic incident heavily points to a violation of humanitarian law and potentially constitutes a war crime if military personnel are found to have acted recklessly.