International law experts from across the U.S., including Harvard, Yale and Stanford, have signed an open letter saying the strikes on Iran may amount to war crimes. America and Israel began airstrikes on 28 February on Iran's capital, Tehran.
The group of more than 100 experts say in the letter that they are "seriously concerned" about strikes which have hit homes and health facilities, such as the one that hit a Iranian girls school on the first day of the war killing an estimated 175 people according to local authorities.
They also said that rhetroic and statements from officials such as U.S. President Donald Trump and U.S. Secretary of War Pete Hegseth has caused concern. In mid-March, Trump said the U.S. may conduct strikes on Iran "just for fun" and that Hegseth quipped that America doesn't fight along with ""stupid rules of engagement".
Trump's comments over the timeline of the war have shifted over time. On Wednesday (1 April) in a televised address, the president said the war could escalate if Iran didn't comply with U.S. demands and strikes on energy and oil infrastructure might occur. Last week he postponed planned strikes to Iran water and power supplies, saying that Iran was conducting talks with officials to bring the conflict to an end. Iran rejected these claims.
Yesterday (2 March), Trump threatened to strike Iran, "We are going to hit them extremely hard over the next two to three weeks. We are going to bring them back to the Stone Ages, where they belong".
The comments referring to the 'Stone Ages' have been condemened, with one leading Muslim advocacy group in the U.S. The Council on American–Islamic Relations (CAIR), saying it was "dehumanising".
In response to these comments, on 2 April Iran's Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said in a post on social media platform X that "There's one striking difference between the present and the Stone Age: there was no oil or gas being pumped in the Middle East back then. Are POTUS and Americans who put him in office sure that they want to turn back the clock?"
Iran retailiated to the U.S.-Israel strikes by firing back at American-run bases in Gulf countries and striking Israel.
Striking civilian structures, including unfinished bridges, will not compel Iranians to surrender.
It only conveys the defeat and moral collapse of an enemy in disarray. Every bridge and building will be built back stronger. What will never recover: damage to America's standing. pic.twitter.com/872zuE36qD — Seyed Abbas Araghchi (@araghchi) April 2, 2026
The humanitarian groups Iranian Red Crescent Society and the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) report more than 1,900 people have been killed and more than 20,000 injured in Iran since the start of the conflict over a month ago.
In the letter, published on the Just Security Forum, the experts said that whilst they are focussing on the conduct of the U.S government, they "collectively affirm the importance of equal application of international law to all, including countries that hold themselves out as global leaders".
They added that they have devoted their lives to promoting the "legal order and system of international legal order and the system of international law that we have devoted our lives to promoting."
"We are gravely concerned that the conduct and threats outlined here are causing serious harm to civilians in the Middle East, and that they also contribute to escalating the conflict, damaging the environment and the global economy, and that they risk degrading the rule of law and fundamental norms that protect every nation’s civilians." they said.
The war has also impacted Lebanon with Israel targeting Iran-backed Hezbollah fighters and threatening to annex 20km of land. This week, the UN condemned the growing humanitarian crisis and called for de-escalation and more funding.
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U.S. President Donald Trump warned that any Iranian ships approaching ports in the Strait of Hormuz would be "immediately eliminated" on Monday, as the U.S. started its blockade.
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The U.S. military began a blockade of Iran's ports on Monday, President Donald Trump said, and Tehran threatened to retaliate against its Gulf neighbours' ports after talks in Islamabad on ending the war broke down at the weekend.
UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer has refused to join a U.S.-led blockade of the Strait of Hormuz, distancing Britain from military escalation after failed U.S.-Iran talks at the weekend, warning involvement could worsen regional tensions.
Israeli and Lebanese ambassadors to the United States will meet later in Washington to discuss a ceasefire, with U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio attending.
Iran's ports were blocked by the U.S. military on Monday (13 April), President Donald Trump confirmed. Tehran has threatened to retaliate against its Gulf neighbours' ports and a U.S. official said there was continued engagement with Iran, and forward motion on trying to get to an agreement.
Tensions in the Gulf have sharpened dramatically after reports that the United States has begun a blockade of Iranian ports, a move already rippling through global markets and political circles.
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