The Korea Times
The system of peace and security established under the U.N. Charter is now facing its most serious crisis since the end of World War II. This crisis has been precipitated by the war against Iran initiated by the United States and Israel. While the Iranian authorities’ domestic suppression of their own people remains indefensible, such actions provide absolutely no legal justification for military attack by external powers. Article 2.4 of the U.N. Charter prohibits the use of force as a general rule, allowing exceptions only in cases of self-defense and when authorized by the U.N. Security Council. The use of force against Iran falls under neither of these categories. Although some scholars argue that preemptive self-defense strikes may be permissible in the face of an “imminent threat,” the definition of “imminence” remains highly contested. We must not allow the misuse of the concept of self-defense based solely on the subjective perceptions of individual leaders, including that of U.S. President Donald Trump. Since the beginning of the second Trump administration, the United
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