Iran Has The Right To Defend Itself
Under Article 51 of the United Nations Charter, every nation holds the “inherent right of individual or collective self-defense” in the face of an armed attack. This fundamental legal principle reaffirms Iran’s right to protect its sovereignty and people in response to recent acts of aggression by both Israel and the United States. Israel’s unprovoked attack on Iran on June 13, 2025, and the subsequent U.S. strike on June 21, were both conducted without authorization from the United Nations Security Council. As such, these acts are flagrant violations of Article 2(4) of the UN Charter, which strictly prohibits the threat or use of force against the territorial integrity or political independence of any state unless sanctioned by the Security Council or in self-defense.
In stark contrast to the aggression displayed by Israel, Iran has demonstrated a consistent commitment to peace and stability. A nation with a millennia-old civilization, Iran has not initiated war against any other country for over two centuries. It remains a signatory to the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT), maintains active cooperation with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), and upholds international law. Yet Iran finds itself under continuous military and economic pressure from a rogue state that poses a genuine threat to global peace and safety: Israel.
Israel’s record of aggression in the Middle East is extensive and well-documented. It has bombed sovereign territories in Lebanon, Syria, and Yemen, without legal justification or UN authorization. These actions have destabilized entire regions, triggered humanitarian crises, and contributed directly to the erosion of international norms. Furthermore, Israel’s longstanding occupation of Palestinian territories, its systematic violations of international humanitarian law, and its refusal to comply with United Nations resolutions clearly identify it as the aggressor, not the victim, in the Middle East.
Despite repeated international condemnation, Israel continues to ignore binding resolutions from the UN Security Council and the General Assembly. It has defied the International Court of Justice’s (ICJ) January 2024 orders to cease its illegal settlement expansion, allow humanitarian aid into Gaza, and dismantle its settlements in the West Bank. Instead of compliance, Israel has escalated its campaign of brutality, enforcing total sieges on Gaza in both 2023 and 2025. These sieges have resulted in mass starvation—a war crime under international humanitarian law—and deliberate targeting of civilians, including journalists, hospitals, and residential buildings.
One of the most damning recent revelations is the weaponization of humanitarian aid. The so-called “Gaza Humanitarian Foundation” created by Israel has been exposed as a trap to lure desperate civilians to distribution points only to be gunned down—a tactic that violates the Geneva Conventions and amounts to crimes against humanity. A recent Harvard study estimates that 377,000 people out of Gaza’s 2.2 million are now missing and must be presumed dead. These are not collateral figures—they are the results of a sustained and deliberate campaign of extermination.
Israel’s behavior in the nuclear domain also raises grave concerns. It is one of the few countries in the world that refuses to sign and ratify the NPT, thereby avoiding IAEA inspections. It has built a clandestine nuclear arsenal by stealing highly enriched uranium from the United States in the notorious NUMEC affair. Moreover, by refusing to declare its nuclear capabilities, Israel evades accountability under U.S. law, specifically the Symington Amendment, which prohibits military aid to countries that develop nuclear weapons outside the NPT framework. These deliberate violations of international norms and domestic laws have been tolerated—indeed, enabled—by successive U.S. administrations.
In its zeal to stifle Iran’s peaceful scientific and technological progress, both the United States and Israel have resorted to attacking Iranian nuclear facilities, which are under full IAEA supervision. These reckless acts risk the release of radioactive materials, threaten civilian lives, and imperil the region’s ecology—yet they are framed falsely as “defensive” or “preemptive” measures.
It is increasingly evident that Israel operates as a rogue state—beyond the law, above international accountability, and indifferent to human suffering. It has become the gravest threat to peace, safety, and stability not only in the Middle East but across the globe. It systematically undermines the international order, flagrantly violates human rights, and continues to pursue a militaristic and expansionist agenda with impunity.
The international community must no longer stand by. Under the Genocide Convention and the “Responsibility to Protect” (R2P) framework, there is both a moral and legal obligation to act in defense of the Palestinian people. The world must urgently move to impose comprehensive economic and diplomatic sanctions on Israel, enforce a strict arms embargo, and consider military intervention under UN General Assembly Resolution 377 (“Uniting for Peace”), which allows for collective action when the Security Council fails to act.
The time for equivocation is over. The world must hold Israel accountable. Iran’s right to defend itself is not only legal—it is imperative in the face of sustained aggression. Global peace and justice demand that the rogue behavior of Israel be confronted and curtailed through decisive international action.