Collection: Iran, Israel and the United States at War (2025-2026 Operations)

The United States and Israel launched a series of strikes against Iran on Feb. 28, 2026, bombing numerous sites in the cities of Tehran and across the country. Strikes killed Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and several other members of Iran’s leadership, including the commander of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), and the country’s defense minister. Iran responded by launching missiles and drones at Israel and at U.S. military bases and other locations in Bahrain, Kuwait, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates, and Saudi Arabia, including oil and gas facilities and a residential high-rise building.

Previously, Israel’s military had launched a series of strikes on Iran beginning on June 13, 2025, targeting Iranian nuclear facilities and scientists, military sites, and leadership, marking a major escalation in ongoing tensions between the two countries. On June 21, the United States conducted airstrikes on three nuclear sites in Iran – Fordow, Natanz, and Esfahan – joining the armed conflict and marking the first direct U.S. military attack on Iran’s nuclear program. 

In this collection, experts analyze critical dimensions of the U.S. and Israeli strikes on Iran and responses from Iran and other actors. Analysis covers topics including nuclear diplomacy; strategic, security, and regional implications; and the legality of the strikes and responses under both domestic and international law. 

This collection will be updated as events continue to unfold, in reverse chronological order. We invite you to check back regularly for the latest. 

Operation Epic Fury/Operation Roaring Lion (Beginning February 2026)

• Michael W. Meier, “Precision Strike Missiles” (PrSMs) in Iran War: The U.S. Obligation to Conduct a Legal Review of New Weapons (April 2, 2026)
• Tom Dannenbaum, Rebecca Hamilton, Adil Ahmad Haque, Oona A. Hathaway and Gabor Rona, Over 100 International Law Experts Warn: U.S. Strikes on Iran Violate UN Charter and May Be War Crimes (April 2, 2026)
• Luca Trenta and Arturo Jimenez-Bacardi, Khamenei’s Killing and the Perilous Death of the Assassination Ban (April 1, 2026)
• Annie Shiel and Priyanka Motaparthy, In the U.S. Strike on an Iranian School, What a Serious Military Investigation Should Look Like (March 30, 2026)
• Michael Schmitt, Tess Bridgeman and Ryan Goodman, Expert Q&A: A Targeting Primer on Iran War (March 27, 2026)
• Josph N. Orenstein, When Intelligence Fails: A Legal Targeting Analysis of the Minab School Strike (March 26, 2026)
• W. Casey Biggerstaff, Targeting Enemy Logistics (March 25, 2026)
• Jean-Baptiste Dudant, Self-Preservation and the Erosion of International Law (March 25, 2026)
• Lt. Col. Jahara Matisek, Iran Built a Military to Survive the American Way of War: Should we be Surprised? (March 25, 2026)
• Ali Sanaei, Hegseth Didn’t Revive an Ancient Warrior Ethos. He Repeated an American Pattern. (March 23, 2026)
• Chris Rogers, How Iran, Anthropic-DoD Dispute Show the Need for Protective AI (March 23, 2026)
• Michael J. Glennon, The Court Gutted Congress’s War Power. It’s Time to Give It Back. (March 23, 2026)
• Gabor Rona, Fighting an Illegal War and Fighting a War Illegally: the Link between Regime Change Operations and International Humanitarian Law Violations (March 20, 2026)
• Brian Finucane, An Unserious Justification for an Unnecessary War: Assessing the U.S. “Article 51” Letter to U.N. on Iran War (March 18, 2026)
• Jesse Ramsdell, The Entrenchment of Iran’s Security State (March 16, 2026)
• Michael Schmitt and Rob McLaughlin, Expert Q&A on Key Law of Naval Warfare Issues in the Conflict with Iran (March 15, 2026)
• Mark Nevitt, Legal and Operational Issues in the Strait of Hormuz: Transit Passage Under Fire (March 15, 2026)
• Daniel Maurer, Hypothetical Legal Advice to SecDef Hegseth on “No Quarter” Statement (from Office of General Counsel) (March 14, 2026)
• Klaudia Klonowska and Michael Schmitt, Iranian Attacks on the Amazon Data Centers: A Legal Analysis (March 12, 2026)
• Adil Ahmad Haque, The Illegality of Israel’s Military Campaign in Lebanon (March 11, 2026)
• Tom Dannenbaum and Rebecca Hamilton, Aggression, Plain and Simple: A Response to Shany and Cohen on the Attack on Iran (March 10, 2026)
• Brian Finucane, Iran, War Powers, and the Power of the Purse: Leverage or Legalization (March 9, 2026)
• Michael Schmitt and Elizabeth Hutton, Sinking Iran’s Frigate IRIS Dena and the Law of Naval Warfare (March 8, 2026)
• Yuval Shany and Amichai Cohen, The International Community at a Crossroads Over Iran: The reawakening of “illegal but legitimate” or the “law of self-preservation”? (March 6, 2026)
• Aurel Sari, The United Kingdom’s Use of Force Against Iran: Walking a Legal Tightrope? (March 5, 2026)
• Marko Milanovic and Michael Schmitt, Was Targeting Ayatollah Khamenei and Other Iranian Leaders Lawful? What Precedents Does It Set? (March 4, 2026)
• Eliav Lieblich, Double Preemption, Imminence, and the U.S. Attack Against Iran (March 3, 2026)
• Tess Bridgeman, Kate Brannen and Ryan Goodman, Top Questions the Trump Administration Needs to Answer on War with Iran – What Congress, journalists, and the public should ask (March 2, 2026)
• Adil Ahmad Haque, Aggression by the United States and Israel, Misdirected Self-Defense by Iran, and Collective Self-Defense of Gulf States (Mar. 2, 2026)
• Rebecca Hamilton, International Reactions to Military Strikes on Iran: A Tipping Point for the UN Charter? (Feb. 28, 2026)
  
• Brian Egan and Tess Bridgeman, Top Experts’ Backgrounder: Military Action Against Iran and US Domestic Law (Feb. 28, 2026)
• Michael Schmitt, Tess Bridgeman and Ryan Goodman, Expert Q&A: Are U.S. Threats or Use of Force Against Iran Lawful? (Feb. 28, 2026)
• Nema Milaninia, What the Current Crises Facing Iran Mean for Human Rights and Rules on the Use of Force (Feb. 20, 2026)

Operation Rising Lion/Operation Midnight Hammer (June 2025 Israel/U.S.-Iran War)

• Richard Nephew, Tess Bridgeman, and Maya Nir, The Just Security Podcast: Is There a Diplomatic Path for Iran’s Nuclear Program? An Interview with Richard Nephew (July 7, 2025)
• Brian Finucane, Assessing the U.S. Article 51 Letter for the Attack on Iran: Legal Lipstick on the Use of Force Pig (July 3, 2025)
• Michael J. Glennon, The U.S. Attack on Iran Was Unconstitutional (July 1, 2025)
• Brian O’Neill, What Counts as a Win?: Battle Damage Assessments and Public Messaging (June 30, 2025)
• Brianna Rosen, Intelligence Implications of the Shifting Iran Strike Narrative (June 26, 2025)
• Matthew Levitt, Why War? Why Now? Assessing Iranian Intentions and Capabilities (June 26, 2025)
• Nema Milaninia, From War to Control: How the Recent Iran-Israel Conflict Risks Deepening the Islamic Republic’s Repression (June 26, 2025)
• Brian Finucane, The Trump Administration’s Flawed War Powers Report on Iran and the Need for a Congressional Rebuttal (June 24, 2025)
• Gregory B. Craig, President Trump’s Decision to Bomb Iran: From Bad to Worse (June 24, 2025)
• Brianna Rosen, Tess Bridgeman, and Nima Gerami, The Day After U.S. Strikes on Iran’s Nuclear Program: A Policy and Legal Assessment (June 22, 2025)
• Adil Haque, Indefensible: Israel’s Unlawful Attack on Iran (June 19, 2025)
• Brian Egan and Tess Bridgeman, Top Experts’ Backgrounder: Military Action Against Iran and US Domestic Law (updated on June 18, 2025)
• Dalia Dassa Kaye, Israel and Iran: A War with No Off-Ramp (June 17, 2025)
• Amichai Cohen and Yuval Shany, A New War or a New Stage in Ongoing War – Observations on June 13 Israeli Attack against Iran (June 15, 2025)
• Nima Gerami, The Strategic Stakes after Israel’s Strikes on Iran (June 13, 2025) 
• Brian O’Neill, The Israeli Strike on Iran the U.S. Saw Coming, but Couldn’t Stop (June 13, 2025) 
• Kelsey Davenport, Israeli Strikes Risk Driving Iran Toward Nuclear Weapons (June 13, 2025) 

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