WBAI Panel: U.S. Attack on Iran Raises Hard Truths About War Crimes and Power

The Iran strike sparks debate over international law, war crimes, and America’s global power. Experts challenge the myth of a rules-based U.S. military policy.

U.S. Attack on Iran Raises Hard Truths

The embedded video contains solely the questions that WBAI’s We Decide’s Jenna Flanagan asked me. The entire panel discussion can be viewed here. We Decide is a joint Pacifica Affiliate, WBAI production, and the We Decide: America at the Crossroads with Jenna Flanagan.

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Summary

The debate over the U.S. attack on Iran forces Americans to confront uncomfortable truths about power, law, and war. During the WBAI program We Decide, the panel examined whether the United States had the legal or moral authority to attack Iran and whether the country actually follows the international rules of war. The conversation challenged the mythology that the United States operates within a consistent legal framework abroad, instead exposing a pattern of unilateral action that often ignores international law and democratic accountability.

• A PBS/NPR/Marist poll shows 56% of Americans oppose U.S. military action in Iran, reflecting growing public skepticism about another Middle East war.
• The attack on Iran raises fundamental questions about whether the United States had legal authority under international law or the U.S. Constitution to initiate such action.
• Historical evidence—from Vietnam to Iraq—demonstrates that violations of the laws of war are not anomalies but recurring features of U.S. military policy.
• The discussion highlights the geopolitical motivations behind the escalation, including regional power politics and alliances.
• New warfare technologies, including hypersonic missiles and inexpensive drone systems, threaten traditional American military dominance and increase the risk of escalation.

The discussion reveals a deeper problem than one particular military strike. It exposes a system in which global power frequently overrides international law and democratic consent. A progressive perspective insists that peace, accountability, and diplomacy must replace the reflexive use of military force that has defined decades of U.S. foreign policy.

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The question of whether the United States had the right to attack Iran forces a confrontation with a reality that American political discourse often avoids. The country routinely claims to defend international law and the rules-based order, yet its military actions frequently operate outside those very principles.

During the WBAI program We Decide, the political panel addressed this contradiction directly. The discussion began with the striking reality that a majority of Americans oppose the war. According to a PBS/NPR/Marist poll, 56 percent of Americans oppose U.S. military action against Iran. Public skepticism toward military intervention has grown steadily after two decades of costly wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. That skepticism reflects experience. Americans watched trillions of dollars disappear into wars that destabilized regions while failing to improve security or democracy.

The central question remains simple: Did the United States have the right to attack Iran?

Under international law, the United Nations Charter allows military action primarily in two circumstances—self-defense against an imminent threat or authorization by the UN Security Council. Many legal scholars argue that preventive attacks that lack immediate defensive necessity violate the charter. The Congressional Research Service and numerous international law experts note that unilateral military strikes without clear defensive justification often raise serious legal concerns.

The deeper issue, however, extends beyond legality. The discussion highlighted a recurring pattern in U.S. foreign policy: powerful nations often decide that the rules do not apply to them. From Vietnam to Iraq, Washington has justified wars through shifting narratives—containment, weapons of mass destruction, humanitarian intervention, or counterterrorism. Yet the outcomes frequently reveal geopolitical motives that had little to do with the original public justification.

Historical evidence reinforces this critique. The My Lai massacre during the Vietnam War demonstrated how war crimes could occur within the structure of U.S. military operations. The Iraq War—initiated under the claim that Saddam Hussein possessed weapons of mass destruction—resulted in hundreds of thousands of deaths and massive regional instability. The U.S. Senate Intelligence Committee later confirmed that the intelligence used to justify the invasion was deeply flawed.

When a nation repeatedly claims moral authority while violating international norms, it erodes the credibility of the global system itself.

The panel also explored a critical strategic issue often ignored in mainstream debate: the transformation of warfare. Traditional military dominance once depended on aircraft carriers, heavy naval fleets, and air superiority. Those assets remain powerful, but they no longer guarantee victory. Cheap drones, cyber warfare, and hypersonic missiles have radically altered the battlefield.

Iran and other nations have invested heavily in these asymmetric technologies. Inexpensive drone swarms and advanced missile systems can threaten even the most sophisticated military platforms. The panel discussion noted that U.S. naval forces have already repositioned assets farther from Iranian territory in response to these evolving threats.

This shift dramatically changes the risk calculus. A major military embarrassment—such as damage to a U.S. aircraft carrier—could provoke escalation rather than restraint. Leaders facing political humiliation often double down instead of reassessing strategy.

That possibility illustrates why democratic oversight of war remains essential. The U.S. Constitution grants Congress the power to declare war precisely to prevent impulsive or politically motivated conflicts. Yet presidents from both parties have steadily expanded executive war powers for decades.

A progressive perspective insists that this cycle must end. Endless war drains resources that Americans desperately need at home—health care, education, climate resilience, and infrastructure. The United States spends more on defense than the next several nations combined. That scale of spending represents political priorities, not necessity.

Ultimately, the debate about Iran reflects a broader truth: military power cannot substitute for diplomacy, accountability, and international cooperation. Sustainable peace requires recognizing that every nation—including the United States—must follow the same rules it demands from others.

Until that principle guides policy, the cycle of intervention, escalation, and instability will continue.