The strikes on Iran by the United States and Israel constitute a clear violation of international law, according to a leading Chinese academic.
Kong Qingjiang, Dean of the Academy for Foreign-Related Rule of Law at the China University of Political Science and Law, said that the attacks do not conform to the two circumstances that allow for the use of force as stipulated by the Charter of the United Nations.
"It's certain that the U.S. attack constitutes a violation of international law, including the territorial sovereignty of states, and the non-use of force or non-threat of use of force. One of the most significant features in the post-World War international legal order has been the outlawing of unilateral use of force. The Charter of the United Nations clearly stipulates that a state may use force only in two circumstances. First, when authorized by the United Nations Security Council. Secondly, in self-defense. There is no room for ambiguity in this regard. The actions of the US and Israel do not conform to either of these provisions," said Kong.
The United States and Israel on Saturday launched "major combat operations" against Iran, plunging the war-torn Middle East into a new round of violent conflicts.
U.S. President Donald Trump said the objective "is to defend the American people by eliminating imminent threats" from Iran, and the Israeli Defense Ministry said the country launched a "preemptive" strike against Iran "to remove threats to Israel."
Kong expressed his skepticism about the concept of a "preemptive" strike in self-defense, saying it is not widely recognized, and might lead the international community into a state of the law of the jungle.
"I must point out that 'preemptive self-defense' has not gained widespread recognition. If the doctrine of 'preemptive self-defense' were to become a legitimate norm of international law, the consequence would be that any major power could launch 'preemptive' strikes against smaller and weaker nations. So this will lead to a state of the law of the jungle in the international community," he said.
Kong said all countries should take reasonable actions that are in line with international law and do not undermine the multilateral order or the interests of other countries.
"Each country should be allowed to take reasonable action based on their own national conditions. But these must comply with international law and must not harm the multilateral order or the interests of other countries. So that's the thing, I think, is a general approach that international society, the international community should adopt in order to maintain peace and order to avoid such confrontation, like the war between Iran and the U.S, and Israel," he said.
Strikes on Iran by US, Israel violate int'l law, UN Charter: expert
