# Why the US strikes on Iran are illegal and can set a troubling precedent

**Source**: https://www.anu.edu.au/news/all-news/why-the-us-strikes-on-iran-are-illegal-and-can-set-a-troubling-precedent
**Parent**: https://www.anu.edu.au/news

01 Jul 2025

US President Donald Trump at a press conference. Photo: Evan El-Amin/shutterstock.com

After the United States bombed Iran’s three nuclear facilities on Sunday, US President Donald Trump [said its objective](https://www.cbsnews.com/news/u-s-launches-strikes-iranian-nuclear-facilities-trump-says/) was a “stop to the nuclear threat posed by the world’s number one state sponsor of terror”.

US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth [echoed this justification](https://www.cnbc.com/2025/06/22/hegseth-iran-us-attack.html), saying “the president authorised a precision operation to neutralise the threats to our national interest posed by the Iranian nuclear program and the collective self-defence of our troops and our ally Israel”.

Is this a legitimate justification for a state to launch an attack on another?

Read more here: <https://reporter.anu.edu.au/all-stories/why-the-us-strikes-on-iran-are-illegal-and-can-set-a-troubling-precedent>

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