US-ISRAEL INVASION OF IRAN AND ITS IMPLICATIONS ON INTERNATIONAL LAW

This study investigated the US-Israel invasion of Iran and its implications for international law. The US–Israeli military actions against Iran raise serious concerns about the legality of the use of force under international law, particularly the restrictions on self-defense and state sovereignty in the UN Charter. These actions expose weaknesses in international legal institutions, especially in enforcing compliance by powerful states. The study aimed to analyze the legality of the US-Israel military actions against Iran under international law and the United Nations Charter and evaluate the effectiveness of international legal institutions, particularly the United Nations, in addressing and regulating the conflict between the United States, Israel, and Iran. The study used the Realist Theory of International Relations developed by Hans J. Morgenthau in 1948. The study employed a qualitative research design and applied secondary sources of data, including books, academic journals, international conventions and treaties, the United Nations Charter, reports issued by international organizations, government publications, judicial decisions, legal documents, and newspapers. The study found that the legality of US–Israel military actions against Iran is widely contested under international law, as such operations raise serious concerns in relation to Article 2(4) and Article 51 of the United Nations Charter, particularly in situations where there is no clear approval from the Security Council and where self-defense arguments are broadly or controversially interpreted. The study concluded that the US–Israeli military action against Iran constitutes a profound challenge to the core tenets of international law, especially the prohibition on the use of force in the United Nations Charter. This raises critical concerns regarding the weakening of state sovereignty, the deterioration of collective security frameworks, and the increasing ambiguity in the application of the doctrine of self-defense in international relations. The study recommended strengthening diplomatic engagement and formal multilateral negotiations among the United States, Israel, and Iran, facilitated by neutral international mediators under the United Nations’ oversight, to help resolve long-standing historical disputes, ease ideological tensions, and reduce strategic rivalry in the Middle East.