UNHR Middle East Advisor and Legal and Policy Director join over 100 international law experts warning U.S. strikes may be war crimes
April 2, 2026
UNHR’s Legal Advisor on the Middle East and North Africa Salma Waheedi and Legal and Policy Director Thomas Becker are among the over 100 signatories on a letter letter international legal scholars warning of U.S. violations of the UN Charter and possible war crimes in its attacks on Iran.
“The United States and Israel initiated strikes on Iran over one month ago, on February 28, 2026. The attack was a clear violation of the United Nations Charter. The conduct of the war, and statements of U.S. officials, also raise serious concerns about violations of international humanitarian law, including potential war crimes. We have written the below statement together with over 100 U.S.-based international law experts, to detail our profound concerns about the war. The letter is signed by international law experts across the United States, including senior professors; leaders of prominent international law associations, non-governmental organizations, and legal clinics; former government legal advisors; and military law experts and former Judge Advocates General (JAGs),” according to Just Security.
We write to express our concern about 1) jus ad bellum, or the decision to go to war, 2) jus in bello, or the conduct of hostilities, 3) rhetoric and threats from senior U.S. officials and their allies, which portend further abuses, and 4) the decimation of civilian harm mitigation structures within the U.S. government as a part of U.S. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth’s “gloves off” approach to warfare.
