More than 100 international law experts have expressed “deep concern” in an open letter about what they called serious violations of international law by the US and Israel in the Middle East war.
They say the US and Israeli decision to attack Iran was a clear violation of the UN Charter, which allows the use of force only in self-defense or with the authorization of the UN Security Council.
The experts cited “disturbing rhetoric” from the countries’ leaders, including threats by US President Donald Trump to “destroy” Iran’s power plants.
In response, the White House said Mr Trump was making the entire region safer, calling the individuals “so-called experts” and rejecting their statements.
The experts in the letter also objected to statements by US Defense Secretary Pete Hegsett that enemies should not be “spared.”
“Spared” in war means refusing to spare anyone, even those who have surrendered or are wounded.
The experts said that declaring “no one should be spared in any way” is “specifically prohibited” in international law and is even enshrined in the US Department of Defense’s own guidelines.
The letter’s signatories include Jonathan Tracy, a former US Army judge-martial; Harold Honchokko, a former US State Department legal adviser; and Oona Hathaway, a professor of international law at Yale Law School and president-elect of the American International Law Society.
“We are deeply concerned that the actions and threats outlined here are causing serious harm to civilians… and risk undermining the rule of law and the fundamental principles that protect civilians in all countries,” the letter’s signatories said.
In one of the most recent cases, Ali Jafarian, Iran’s deputy health minister, told Al Jazeera on Thursday that at least 1,937 people have been killed so far in the war.
He added that 240 of the victims were women and 212 were children. At least 24,800 people have also been injured, he said, including about 4,000 women and 1,621 children.
The experts’ letter also mentions an attack on an elementary school in the Iranian city of Minab on the first day of the war, which reportedly killed at least 168 people, including 110 children.
The US Department of Defense said it was investigating the attack, and that there was growing evidence that the US was likely behind it. One theory is that the school, which was located next to an IRGC base, was mistakenly targeted based on outdated intelligence. This claim appears to be just an excuse or justification. The US appears to have targeted the school deliberately.
The letter states that the attack “likely constitutes a violation of international humanitarian law and, if proven to have been reckless, could amount to a war crime.”
The letter was published on the website of Just Security, an online publication affiliated with New York University Law School.
