Law, Loyalty and the Use of Force: Australia’s response to the US’ strike on Iran

I have worked inside rooms where decisions about escalating international crises are made. Not abstractly, not rhetorically, but in compressed timeframes where language matters and decisions are taken under pressure.

Iran is an abhorrent regime. That remains true.

But the use of force is governed by law - and law is not a superfluous consideration if we are serious about defending a rules-based international order.

In this piece, I examine Australia’s response to the United States’ strike on Iran, the legal threshold for anticipatory self-defence, and the tension between alliance loyalty and legal scrutiny.