A World Without Law: Operation Epic Disaster

About this episode

The episode discusses the international law implications of the ongoing US/Israel war against Iran, featuring insights from legal experts.

The 2026 US/Israel war against Iran is a rapidly evolving, multi-front war. What started as a massive joint air campaign (Operation Epic Fury) and involved the execution of Ayatollah Ali Khameini and some 40 other senior Iranian leaders and key military commanders has expanded into a regional confrontation involving cyber warfare, energy blockades and direct missile exchanges without any current sign of an uprising by the Iranian people to topple the Islamic Republic of Iran. The Hormuz Straits remain effectively closed to Western-aligned commercial traffic, creating a looming crisis of global economic disaster. Following their discussion with Shadow Attorney General Lord Wolfson KC in the 4th March episode on the legality of the initial US/Israel attack on 28th February 2026, Ken Macdonald KC and Tim Owen KC are joined once again by LSE Professor of International Law, Devika Hovell, to continue the debate on the international law issues generated by the Iran War. What are the international law rules which govern the use of force by States as established in the 1837 Caroline Criteria and the UN Charter? To what extent have those rules developed to reflect the reality of a nuclear…

People in this episode

Hosts: Ken Macdonald KC, Tim Owen KC

Guests: Lord Wolfson KC, Devika Hovell

Topics covered

• international law
• use of force
• Iran conflict
• self-defense
• cyber warfare
• military strategy

Keywords

• Iran war
• international law
• self-defense
• cyber warfare
• military conflict
• nuclear threat
• energy blockades

Mentioned in this episode

Books & works: UN Charter, 1837 Caroline Criteria

Places: Iran, United States, Israel

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