Academic states US-Israeli attack on Iran violates UN Charter

Padang, West Sumatra (ANTARA) – Prof. Ferdi, an international law academic and expert at Andalas University (Unand) in West Sumatra, has stated that the military attack by the United States and Israel on Iran, which resulted in the death of the country’s supreme leader Ali Khamenei, violated the UN Charter.

“Under international law, particularly the UN Charter, every state is prohibited from launching armed attacks against other states,” he said in Padang, West Sumatra, on Sunday.

He explained that the United Nations was established to maintain world peace and prevent armed conflicts. Article 51 of the UN Charter does recognise the right to self-defence, but only applies when a state is attacked first.

“In the context of the attack on Iran, this logic does not hold,” said Ferdi, who is also Dean of the Law Faculty at Unand.

He stated that the fundamental principle of the UN Charter explicitly prohibits the use of armed force against other states, except in very limited circumstances. Self-defence applies only when a state is attacked first.

“It is not attacking another state and then calling it self-defence. Therefore, the self-defence claim by the US and Israel represents a reversal of international legal logic,” he said.

He assessed that the missile attack on Iran would be more accurately categorised as an act of aggression or invasion rather than a defensive response. Consequently, Article 51 of the UN Charter cannot serve as a basis for legitimising the action.

Beyond the issue of self-defence, he also believed the action could potentially violate the principle of national sovereignty, which forms the foundation of modern international law.

Unilateral military action risks breaching several international provisions simultaneously, particularly the prohibition on the use of armed force without a mandate from the UN Security Council.

“The UN Charter prioritises the peaceful resolution of disputes through diplomacy and negotiation. The use of military force against the sovereignty of another state clearly contradicts the spirit and provisions of the UN Charter,” he said.