It has been one week since Israel launched a dangerous war against Iran. With so much misinformation and pro-war propaganda being repeated by politicians and news media, CJPME has just issued a new factsheet that addresses critical questions, including:
- Was Israel’s attack pre-emptive or illegal?
- Is there evidence that Iran is building a nuclear weapon?
- Does Israel have nuclear weapons?
Factsheet: Israel’s Illegal War With Iran
Was Israel’s attack pre-emptive or illegal?
Israel and the U.S. have characterized the June 13 attacks on Iran as a pre-emptive act of self-defence, and Canada and the G7 echoed this framing, stating that Israel has “a right to defend itself.”
However, legal experts widely dispute this justification. Given the lack of evidence of an imminent attack by Iran, experts argue that Israel’s use of force violated Article 2(4) of the Charter of the United Nations and, therefore, was unlawful and amounts to the crime of aggression.
Israel’s targeting of Iranian nuclear facilities — which, according to the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), resulted in damage or destruction of centrifuges — also violates international law. IAEA resolutions affirm that any armed attack on nuclear facilities devoted to peaceful purposes is a violation of the principles of the UN Charter, international law and the Statute of the Agency.
Is there evidence that Iran is building a nuclear weapon?
No, there is no evidence that Iran is actively building a nuclear weapon. Neither the UN nor the IAEA have accused Iran of attempting to build a nuclear weapon. Nor has Israel provided any evidence to support its claim that Iran is close to acquiring a nuclear bomb.
Will Israel’s attack address nuclear proliferation?
No, and some experts argue that Israel’s attacks on Iran could paradoxically fuel both the Iranian government and public to seek a nuclear deterrent.
Israel itself is believed to have more than 90 nuclear weapons, and the capacity to produce many more, according to the Center for Arms Control and Nonproliferation. However, Israel does not acknowledge the existence of a nuclear arsenal. Israel is also not a party to the NPT (unlike Iran), and therefore does not allow international inspections and is not subject to any safeguards (unlike Iran).