On Talk War, Alex Phillips is joined by barrister and UK Lawyers for Israel legal director Natasha Hausdorff to dissect the escalating row over Iran, US airstrikes and the UK government’s position on international law. The discussion centres on reports that the Prime Minister initially refused permission for US forces to use RAF Fairford or Diego Garcia for strikes on Iranian missile systems, before apparent backpedalling amid Iranian retaliation targeting British assets in Cyprus.
Hausdorff backs the legal analysis set out by Lord Wolfson, arguing that international law permits force in the face of imminent threat and within the context of an ongoing armed conflict. She maintains that Iran’s long record of proxy attacks, direct strikes and nuclear ambitions provides a clear legal framework for collective self-defence by Israel and the United States. In her view, critics focusing narrowly on “pre-emptive strikes” are ignoring the broader reality of an entrenched conflict and misapplying international humanitarian law.
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