Statement from The Lawfare Project on Israel’s Preemptive Strike Against Iran
Israel’s military operation against Iran was not a war of choice, but an act of urgent self-defense. On June 12, 2025, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Board of Governors formally declared that the Iranian regime was in violation of its nuclear safeguards obligations. Within hours, Iran announced the activation of a third uranium enrichment site. According to IAEA data and intelligence reports, Iran’s enriched uranium stockpile has surged by 50% in recent weeks, with enrichment levels reaching 60% purity—just below weapons-grade. Civilian nuclear energy programs typically require enrichment levels of only 3% to 6%. There is no longer any plausible civilian justification for Iran’s nuclear activities.
The Islamic Republic of Iran now possesses enough fissile material to construct a nuclear weapon and could feasibly assemble a weapon within days. The existential threat this poses to Israel—and to global security—cannot be overstated. Iranian leaders have long and repeatedly declared “Death to America” and “Death to Israel,” while funding, directing, and enabling a vast international terror apparatus.
According to Israeli military intelligence reports, Iran has developed a comprehensive strategy to destroy the State of Israel through coordinated missile and drone barrages, coupled with a multi-front ground assault modeled after the horrors of October 7—on a dramatically larger scale. This plan reportedly includes efforts to destabilize neighboring regimes in Jordan and Egypt, adding to the threat against regional peace and security.
In the past year alone, Iran has twice launched direct attacks against Israel: a massive drone and missile strike in April 2024, and a major ballistic missile barrage in October 2024. These were the first overt, state-on-state attacks launched directly from Iranian territory against Israeli soil, marking an unprecedented escalation.
In response to this clear and growing danger, Israel acted with surgical precision, targeting senior Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) leaders and infrastructure. The Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) took extensive measures to avoid civilian casualties, demonstrating that this operation is not a war against the Iranian people. The targeted strike on a senior IRGC general—carried out in a residential apartment with minimal collateral damage—underscores the operation’s limited and disciplined nature.
The international community must recognize the broader reality: Iran is the primary driver of global terrorism—arming and funding Hamas, Hezbollah, the Houthis, and other proxy forces from Yemen to Iraq. Iran is also widely reported to have been the chief sponsor behind the atrocities of October 7. Israel’s preemptive action was not only justified—it was necessary to prevent mass bloodshed and uphold the principles of civilization, security, and law.
This is not only a matter of strategic necessity but also of legal and moral clarity. Under Article 51 of the United Nations Charter, every nation has the inherent right to self-defense in response to an armed attack. International law further recognizes a right of anticipatory self-defense where the threat is imminent, overwhelming, and leaves no choice of means or moment for deliberation. Iran’s accelerating nuclear breakout, its persistent threats of annihilation, its direct attacks on Israeli soil, and its operational readiness to build a nuclear weapon within days all meet and exceed these thresholds. Israel’s strike was a lawful act of anticipatory self-defense in response to an imminent existential threat—a response consistent with both customary international law and the moral obligation to protect innocent life.
The Lawfare Project stands firmly with democratic allies who defend their people against tyranny, terrorism, and annihilation. Let freedom and justice prevail in the Middle East.