The International Association of Democratic Lawyers condemns in the strongest terms the illegal aggression perpetrated by Israel against the Islamic Republic of Iran, that has so far included the assassination of leadership figures, scientists and professors, the bombing of nuclear development sites and the targeting of a wide range of civilian infrastructure, including residential buildings, university dorms, radio and television studios, hospitals and oil platforms. This aggression clearly contravenes international law and the Charter of the United Nations, in violation of the sovereignty and territorial integrity of states, principles of good neighborliness, and the peaceful settlement of disputes.
We emphasize the legitimate right of Iran, a sovereign nation, to defend itself from this unprovoked aggression as well as its right to development, including the development of nuclear energy facilities. We urge all states to act to hold Israel accountable for this unlawful aggression, as well as its ongoing genocide in occupied Palestine, particularly in Gaza, and its continued aggression against Lebanon, Yemen and Syria, through, as first steps, the implementation of an immediate arms embargo and the withdrawal of ambassadors from Israel. Holding Israel and its military and political officials accountable is necessary in order to restore and maintain peace and security for all peoples of the region.
We are particularly concerned by the statements of Israel Katz, War Minister of Israel, declaring that the “residents of Tehran will pay the price,” one day before U.S. President Donald Trump called on “everybody” – over 9 million people – “to evacuate” Tehran, Iran’s capital. Both of these statements indicate a clear plan to deliberately target the civilian population of Iran, and at least 220 Iranian civilians have already been killed. Trump has escalated his statements in the past day, demanding “UNCONDITIONAL SURRENDER” from Iran, while the majority of media coverage entirely evades the reality that this a profoundly unlawful aggression and a crime against humanity.
This unlawful Israeli aggression and the ongoing series of U.S. threats to Iran constitute a declaration of war against a sovereign nation, in violation of Article 2.4 of the UN Charter, which prohibits both the use of force and the threat to use force against the territorial integrity of any state.
This aggression further raises serious concerns about the role played by international institutions, the International Atomic Energy Agency in particular. Despite a lengthy history of Iranian engagement with the IAEA, and Iran’s maintenance of its membership in the Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT), the IAEA adopted a resolution on 13 June – hours before the Israeli aggression – casting doubt on Iran’s compliance. This action by the IAEA, rather than playing the role of an agency charged with safeguarding peaceful, civilian nuclear development, seemingly created a pretext for the illegal Israeli assault on nuclear research and energy sites as well as scores of scientists, civilian residential facilities, and government and military officials only hours later. This action is a betrayal of the stated function of the IAEA, particularly amid the context that Israel is an “undeclared” nuclear power that has nuclear weapons and is not a member of the NPT.
Amid the ongoing aggression, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, wanted on war crimes charges by the International Criminal Court (ICC) has demanded regime change in Iran, while Israeli and now U.S. officials have spread threats to assassinate Sayyed Ali Khamenei, the Supreme Leader of the Islamic Republic of Iran. All attempts to impose “regime change” on the Islamic Republic of Iran are violations of Iran’s right to sovereignty, self-determination and development. The violations of international humanitarian law and human rights conventions could not be more obvious and pronounced.
The United States has played a particularly dangerous role in the ongoing Israeli aggression, including seeking to deceive the leadership of the Islamic Republic of Iran, sincerely interested in a peace and nuclear development agreement, through negotiations taking place at the same time that the U.S. was aware of Israeli plans to carry out its unlawful and unprovoked aggression. This deception was seemingly intended to undermine Iran’s defenses and allow for easier targeting of scientists, experts and military and political leaders.
This deception builds on a long history of U.S. imperialist attacks on Iran, from the 1953 CIA coup against democratically elected President Mohammed Mossadegh, to years of assassinations, sabotage campaigns and bombings, to the extensive and unlawful unilateral coercive measures imposed by the United States and European powers on Iran in an attempt to force ‘regime change’ and undermine its right to development and self-determination through starvation and forced impoverishment. It was the United States that withdrew unilaterally from the JCPOA, the previous agreement concluded by Iran, despite Iran’s full compliance with the terms of the agreement.
The Israeli attacks on Iran’s uranium enrichment facilities are high crimes, presenting a real and present danger of the spread of radiation and nuclear fallout in Iran and the entire region, a grave violation of International Humanitarian Law namely Article 56 (1) of the 1977 Optional Protocol I to Geneva Convention IV on the Protection of Civilians in times of War, which prohibits attacks on installations and facilities “which may cause the release of dangerous substances” and consequent severe losses among the civilian population
Following the illegal Israeli aggression, the Islamic Republic of Iran has, in conformity with Article 51 of the UN Charter, exercised its right to self-defense, after exercising extreme restraint in the face of grave provocations and over a decade of assassinations, including the assassination of Ismail Haniyeh, the head of Hamas (the Palestinian Islamic Resistance Movement), in Tehran in July 2024, cyber-warfare campaigns, bombings and sabotage operations, and the bombing of the Iranian embassy in Damascus in April 2024.
For the past 20 months – atop over 77 years of occupation and colonialism in Palestine – Israel has been waging a genocide against Palestinians, particularly in the occupied and besieged Gaza Strip. Over 54,000 Palestinians have been killed and over 2 million have been displaced by the Israeli occupation. Both Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant are wanted by the International Criminal Court (ICC) for war crimes and crimes against humanity. Israel is currently occupying large areas of Syria, and is carrying out daily unlawful aggressions and incursions in Lebanon, as well as bombing the civilian ports and oil infrastructure in Yemen.
In comparison, the Islamic Republic of Iran has been a consistent supporter of regional sovereignty, independent development and self-determination. It is one of the only nations that has acted in accordance with the Genocide Convention to support Palestinians’ right to self-determination and to defend themselves from genocide, and has consistently supported the Palestinian national liberation movement since the Revolution of 1979, which overthrew the U.S.-installed and -backed monarchy imposed upon the country.
We urge states to immediately implement a two-way arms embargo on Israel; commit to implementing the International Criminal Court warrants against Netanyahu and Gallant, rather than continuing to provide them with impunity; join and bring new cases at the International Court of Justice against Israel; not to provide any political or logistical support for Israeli or US acts of aggression or war crimes against Iran or any other country; and to provide all forms of assistance as requested by the Islamic Republic of Iran, Palestine, and other nations subjected to Israeli aggression and genocide.
We urge non-state parties, human rights organizations, lawyers and legal organizations internationally to utilize both domestic and international law and court systems to hold Israeli – and U.S. – officials and soldiers accountable for their unlawful aggression against Iran, as well as their acts of genocide in Palestine; publish and produce clear documentation highlighting the illegality of Israeli aggression and genocide; and provide support and defense against state repression to anti-war movements and human rights defenders in their countries working to bring this aggression to an end.