OONA HATHAWAY - IS THE IRAN WAR ILLEGAL? | ON TRUMP, INTERNATIONAL LAW & THE UN CHARTER.

In this episode of Frontlines & Backrooms, we speak with Professor Oona Hathaway (Yale Law School), one of the leading experts on international law and the use of force, and a former advisor at the Pentagon.

At a moment when the foundations of the post-1945 international order are being openly challenged, we examine whether the United States is violating the rules — or rewriting them in real time.

We discuss the legality of the Iran war, the absence of an imminent threat, and what it means when powerful states act outside the UN Charter without meaningful response from the international community.

From the silence of allies, to the role of Israel in shaping reactions, to the risks of returning to a world where the use of force is left to states — this is a conversation about power, law, and the future of the global order.

Learn more about Professor Oona Hathaway’s work:
https://law.yale.edu/oona-hathaway

00:00 Call to Support
00:23 Introduction

01:46 U.S. — violating the rules or rewriting them
02:38 No imminent threat from Iran
03:11 Iran war as a violation of the UN Charter

03:56 Venezuela, nuclear strikes & Ukraine — pattern of violations
04:26 China and the South China Sea

05:10 UN failure to respond
05:58 Why states are afraid to call out Trump
06:43 The role of Israel
07:14 Why there is little sympathy for Iran
08:01 Unpredictability of U.S. leadership

10:11 The post-WWII system explained
11:42 Why we cannot return to a world of unrestricted force
13:12 Why major powers supported the ban on war
14:40 Power and the system
15:10 Rules must apply to everyone
16:03 Law vs power

16:54 Why this is not lawful self-defense
17:32 Threats against civilian targets
18:39 Inside the U.S. Department of Defense
19:32 Military culture and the law
20:04 Can that culture survive?

22:34 Internal tensions within the Pentagon
24:07 What is collateral damage?
25:01 Military mistakes and responsibility
27:12 When collateral damage is lawful

27:56 Technology and the changing definition of civilians
29:39 Israel’s interpretation of participation in conflict

34:09 UN Security Council and veto power
35:16 Why the system was designed this way
36:05 Structural paralysis

39:19 Why veto reform is unrealistic
41:10 “Board of Peace” explained
41:58 Fear of parallel institutions
42:10 Can new institutions replace the UN?
43:03 Rethinking global governance

44:47 Failure to respond enables escalation
47:23 Is the system still viable?
48:26 Why unilateral force leads to disaster
49:08 The role of middle powers

50:46 Five quick questions
51:46 What comes next