SAEDNEWS: This war is a revolt of barbarism against civilization. Continuing the genocide in Gaza, it not only mocks the region but also ridicules the achievements—or at least the civilizing slogans—of humanity over the past two centuries, representing a return to barbarism.
According to SAEDNEWS, quoting IBNA, Mehdi Fadaei Mehrabani, Associate Professor of Political Science at the University of Tehran, stated:
As a faculty member in the Department of Political Science at the University of Tehran, I strongly condemn the recent Israeli attack on my homeland, Iran, and call for a firm response to these crimes. It is evident on the international stage that raw power alone holds real sway. The main question now is: beyond military retaliation and diplomatic follow-up, to what extent can international law restore the rights of Global South countries? Or is international law, along with its institutions, merely a disciplinary tool in the hands of great powers to advance their interests against the Global South?
Can Global South countries realistically reclaim their rights through legal channels? The recent Israeli attack, which constitutes a flagrant violation of fundamental principles of international law, sends legal signals and expectations to international legal institutions, which demand a response:
Article 2(4) of the UN Charter explicitly prohibits the use of force against the territorial integrity or political independence of any state. An attack on Iran without Security Council authorization or a valid claim of self-defense clearly constitutes aggression under UN General Assembly Resolution 3314 (1974). The Montevideo Convention (1933) also recognizes state sovereignty over its territory and considers any violation thereof illegal.
Targeting civilians and civilian facilities (such as nuclear sites under IAEA supervision) violates the principle of distinction enshrined in Additional Protocol I to the Geneva Conventions (1977). Moreover, the assassination of military commanders outside an active battlefield may qualify as extrajudicial killings and be subject to prosecution.
This attack violates the peremptory norm (jus cogens) prohibiting the use of force. The international community is obligated to firmly condemn such acts and prevent them from becoming normalized. In the 1986 Nicaragua v. United States judgment, the International Court of Justice affirmed that the use of force is permissible only in cases of legitimate self-defense or with Security Council approval.
Under Article 51 of the UN Charter, Iran has the inherent right to respond proportionally to an armed attack, provided the principles of necessity and proportionality are observed and the incident is reported to the Security Council.
The Security Council must, under Chapter VII of the UN Charter, recognize this attack as a threat to global peace and adopt coercive measures (such as sanctions) against the aggressor. Silence from international institutions may promote a culture of impunity—just as seen in the failures to hold countries like Russia, Saudi Arabia, and Indonesia accountable.
These attacks and Israel’s recent actions in regional countries are not only crimes against Iran and the region but also constitute an assault on the framework of international law. The global community must use existing mechanisms (such as the International Criminal Court) to prevent the escalation of lawlessness in the international system. Otherwise, we will perpetuate an anarchic state enabled by the excesses of a favored regime, protected by great powers in a region that is the birthplace and heart of human civilization.
This war is the uprising of barbarity against civilization. As a continuation of the genocide in Gaza, it mocks not only the region but also the civilizational ideals of modern humanity over the past two hundred years—and marks a dangerous return to barbarism.
