Iran - Bombing International Law?

With Operation Epic Fury, the US/Israel attack on Iran, triggering reprisals by Iran that risk the stability of the entire Gulf Region, what are the shifting international law justifications for the initial attack? And was the Starmer/Hermer explanation for the UK’s cautious approach to involvement in “offensive” action an example of weakness or wise restraint? 

To answer these and other questions Ken Macdonald KC and Tim Owen KC are joined by the Shadow Attorney General, Lord David Wolfson KC, who attacked the Prime Minister’s statement explaining why the UK did not participate in the US/Israel attack on Iran as “pusillanimous”, a “mark of shame” and an “amoral evasion dressed up as legal principle” (https://x.com/dxw_kc/status/2028087017892970696?s=43). 

Ken and Tim press David on his certainty that the US/Israel attack is fully justified as a matter of international law by reference to the principle of collective self-defence, the need to take proportionate action to avert continued attacks on UK bases and to prevent Iran from implementing its genocidal intentions against Israel. Given William Hague’s support for the Starmer approach and the disastrous history of the Iraq war, should all politicians and those who advise them not recognise the need for extreme caution before lining up behind Trump and Netanyahu? 

In a world dominated by Presidents Trump, Putin and Xi, each of whom regard international law as a meaningless irrelevance, Ken and Tim ask David whether he agrees with Marco Rubio’s statement that the rules-based international order has to be jettisoned as “a fantasy” and a “dangerous delusion” and what are the limits of his support for US/Israel actions in the Middle East. 

Covering the critical intersections of politics and law in the UK with expert commentary on high-profile legal cases, political controversies, prisons and sentencing, human rights law, current political events and the shifting landscape of justice and democracy. With in-depth discussions and influential guests, Double Jeopardy is the podcast that uncovers the forces shaping Britain's legal and political future.      

What happens when politics and law collide? How do politics shape the law - and when does the law push back? What happens when judicial independence is tested, human rights come under attack, or freedom of expression is challenged? And who really holds power in Britain's legal and political system?  Get answers to questions like these weekly on Wednesdays.     

Double Jeopardy is presented by Ken Macdonald KC, former Director of Public Prosecutions, and Tim Owen KC, as they break down the legal and political issues in Britain. From high-profile legal cases to the evolving state of British democracy, Double Jeopardy offers expert legal commentary on the most pressing topics in UK law, politics, and human rights.      

Ken Macdonald KC served as Director of Public Prosecutions from 2003-2008, shaping modern prosecutorial policy and advocating for the rule of law. He is a former Warden of Wadham College, Oxford, a crossbench member of the House of Lords, and a leading writer, commentator and broadcaster on politics and the rule of law.   

  
Tim Owen KC has been involved in many of the most significant public, criminal and human rights law cases over the past four decades.  Both bring unparalleled experience from the frontline of Britain's legal and political landscape.   

If you like The Rest Is Politics, Talking Politics, Law Pod UK and Today in Focus, you'll love Double Jeopardy. 

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