More than 100 international law experts have signed an open letter raising serious concerns over what they call clear violations of international law by the US, Israel, and Iran in the ongoing Middle East war.
Over 100 US-based legal experts and practitioners have signed a letter declaring the war launched by President Donald Trump, jointly with Israel, on Iran a violation of international law, with the strikes potentially constituting war crimeshttps://t.co/5mf9n7DxFe
— Middle East Eye (@MiddleEastEye) April 3, 2026
The experts argue that the US-Israeli strikes on Iran breach the UN Charter, which only allows the use of force in self-defence or with UN Security Council approval. They are particularly alarmed by President 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 term that means refusing to spare even those who surrender or are wounded, which is strictly forbidden under international law.
The letter, signed by prominent figures including former US State Department legal adviser Harold Hongju Koh and Yale Law professor Oona A. Hathaway, warns that such rhetoric and actions are harming civilians and weakening the global rules meant to protect them.
Casualty figures are grim:
- Over 1,600 civilians, including at least 244 children, killed in Iran (Human Rights Activists News Agency)
- 1,345 people killed in Lebanon from Israeli strikes
- 19 civilians killed in Israel from Iranian and Lebanese missile attacks
- At least 24 killed in Gulf states from Iranian retaliation
- The experts also highlighted the deadly strike on a school in Minab, Iran on the first day of the war that killed at least 168 people, including 110 children. The US says it is investigating whether outdated intelligence caused the tragedy.
The White House dismissed the letter, calling the signatories “so-called experts” and insisting Trump’s actions are making the region safer by eliminating Iran’s long-term threats.
Meanwhile, the UN’s humanitarian chief Tom Fletcher described the war as “reckless” and said international law has been “thrown aside” with little enforcement.
The open letter has been published in Just Security, an NYU School of Law journal.
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