A whole civilization will die tonight, never to be brought back again. I don’t want that to happen, but it probably will. —US President Donald Trump via social media Modern international justice is the product of lessons learned from civilizational destruction. And the language of civilizational destruction has a particular resonance in international law. It [...]
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Editor’s note: Dimitri Lascaris traveled to Iran from March 20–31, 2026, as part of a small group of foreign journalists invited by Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting (IRIB), Iran’s state broadcaster, which operates under the supervision of the Supreme Leader’s office. IRIB organized the group’s itinerary and provided in-country guidance. Lascaris states that he declined [...]
Any Iran Ceasefire That Ignores the Executions Is No Peace at All
At dawn in Iran, the state speaks in the language it knows best: silence and secrecy. This week, as global attention fixed on the escalating confrontation between Washington and Tehran, the Islamic Republic executed four political prisoners in two days. Their names—Babak Alipour, Pouya Ghobadi, Akbar Daneshvarkar, Mohammad Taghavi‑Sangdehi—will not appear in ceasefire proposals or [...]
The EU on Monday announced that it will extended a number of sanctions and restrictive measures on Iran in response to human rights violations in the country. The sanction package, according to a Council of the European Union press release, involves a “travel ban and an asset freeze” and a ban on the export of [...]
Appointed to the Senate of Canada in November 2016, the Honourable Yuen Pau Woo sits as an independent senator representing the province of British Columbia. A longtime public policy expert on Canada-Asia relations and former President and CEO of the Asia Pacific Foundation of Canada, Senator Woo serves on the Senate Standing Committees on Foreign [...]
The US-Israel attack on Iran violates international law. Silence makes us complicit.
US President Donald J. Trump has launched his most dangerous act of aggression yet on the world stage. Posterity will be taking copious notes on how the world responds. Trump’s illegal February 28, 2026, attack on Iran came after he offered the Trojan horse of sham “diplomacy” to de-escalate a purported nuclear threat to the [...]
No Authorization, No Imminence, No Plan: The Iran Strikes and the Rule of Law
The most striking aspect of the Trump administration’s legal argument for the attack on Iran is that, in practical terms, it simply does not exist. When President Donald Trump announced that the United States was “at war,” he claimed the strikes were intended to eliminate “imminent threats from the Iranian regime,” yet offered no evidence [...]
How the Trump Administration's Iran Strategy Backfired: A Breach of Diplomatic Trust
Good faith, a form of honesty, is the lifeblood that flows through contracts, treaties and negotiations, leading to bargains, ceasefires, and the end of wars. Good faith presupposes sincerity of purpose. When parties come to the table to resolve a conflict, they assume that each side genuinely seeks a resolution. The demands may be excessive, [...]
The US-Israel War on Iran Will Not Lead to Peace But Even Greater Violence
On Saturday morning, February 28, the United States and Israel launched coordinated military strikes on Iran, hitting targets in Tehran, Isfahan, Qom and other cities across 24 provinces. Iran’s Red Crescent reported at least 201 people killed and 700 injured. US President Donald Trump announced “major combat operations” and openly urged regime change. Iran retaliated [...]
A Japanese citizen has been arrested and detained in Tehran, leading to formal demands from Japan for their immediate release, Deputy Chief Cabinet Secretary Masanao Ozaki said on Wednesday. While the Japanese government has not identified the individual, reports indicate that the detainee is Shinnosuke Kawashima, Tehran bureau chief of NHK, Japan’s public broadcaster. Ozaki [...]
