An exclusive interview conducted by Organization for Defending Victims of Violence with Dr. Raul Rodriguez on Israel’s military aggression against Iran
Raúl Rodríguez is a professor/researcher and currently Director of the Center for Hemispheric and United States Studies at the University of Havana. Mr. Rodríguez holds a M.A. degree in 20th Century History and International Relations and a Ph.D. in History from the School of History and Social Sciences at the University of Havana and a degree in English from the Higher Institute of Foreign Languages.
At the University of Havana, he teaches introductory and postgraduate courses on U.S. history, and he has co- authored syllabi and taught courses (in English) on Cuban history and the history of U.S.-Cuban relations to U.S. undergraduate students and graduate students from Harvard University, University of North Carolina, American University, Tulane University, University of Alabama and Webster University on semester programs at the University of Havana since 2004.
1. In light of Israel’s attacks on Iran starting 13 June 2025, which have resulted in the deaths of 1,100 people—including 126 women and 41 children—and more than 5,700 injuries, how would you evaluate these actions under international law, especially in relation to Article 2(4) of the UN Charter which prohibits the use of force against the sovereignty and territorial integrity of another state? Israel and the United States have invoked a controversial interpretation of Article 51 on self-defense to justify their actions. What is your assessment of this justification?
There is no question that that both the U.S. and the Israeli Government violated the U.N charter, which calls for all U.N. member states to refrain from the threat or the use of force against other member states. It did so, with utmost disregard for international law. Israel had bombed nuclear reactors before—in Iraq in 1981 and in Syria in 2007—but the Iranian blitzkrieg attack was much more sophisticated and diverse in targets that either Iraq’s or Syria’s. The Zionist Government has a long history of violating the sovereignty and territorial integrity of its neighbor states in the name of self-defense with the economic, military and diplomatic support of the United States. The Israeli attack on Iran targeted the country’s top military leaders and nuclear scientists as well as infrastructure and even civilian objectives. The Israeli Strategy failed as Iran’s military command structure is intricate and multi-layered and it became evident that Israel cannot sustain a war effort without the United States.
There is no way to invoke self-defense, as there is no evidence of Iranian hostile military action against the territorial integrity neither of Israel nor against any of its neighbors. The Iranian government emphasizes as one of the tenets of its foreign policy. The fact that Iran condemns the ongoing genocide in Gaza and the continued atrocities carried out by the Israeli army in occupied Palestine for decades and supports those who resist it cannot be construed as an actual threat that warrants the targeted assassination of Iranian Military officials and scientists. Additionally, there is no credible evidence to suggest that Iran is pursuing a nuclear weapons program.
2. Israel has deliberately targeted critical civilian infrastructure, including hospitals, water facilities, and pharmaceutical factory in Tehran. It has also issued vague evacuation warnings for a city of over 10 million residents, causing widespread panic and displacement. What strategic or political objectives do you believe Israel was pursuing with these actions?
In my opinion the Israeli army targeted critical civilian infrastructure, including hospitals, water facilities, and pharmaceutical factories in Tehran in order to test the soundness Iranian infrastructure, the actual political cohesion of the Iranian population and the levels of support for the Iranian government. Let’s not forget that the Israeli PM himself called for the Iranians to act against its government and used some of its own intelligence assets inside Iran to generate chaos and uncertainty. Knowing they could not sustain a long campaign against Iran the objective was to stun the Iranian population. Their objective was fragmenting Iran into a divided nation with a failed government and a destabilized society, as the U.S. and Israel have done in Libya and Syria for example. It was the opposite, the prevailing sense of patriotism in Iran, was reinforced by the attack, as national unity opposed external attempts to destabilize the country.
3. Given the consistent support of Western governments for Israel, despite decades of documented human rights violations and UN condemnations, what explains this persistent political alignment? In your view, what are the structural or ideological factors that sustain this Western consensus in favor of Israel, even in the face of atrocities?
Western governments provide weapons to Israel to continue its genocidal attacks against the Palestinian people. They are directly involved in the asymmetric war in Palestine and are the enablers of the ongoing genocide against the Palestinians. The west has created and supported several of the strongest armies in the world against a small group of resistance movements against a settler colonial state created and installed geographically by the UK first and U.S. mostly after the second world war.
The first reason is therefore the colonial legacy. Most Western countries that have had colonialist policies during the last several centuries promoted the formation of Israel as one of their colonial projects at the end of the 19th century and during the first half of the 20th century. After the Second World War, these powers, especially the Anglo-Saxon alliance UK-US established Israel as one of the most effective instruments of Western colonialism in the Middle East and West Asia.
Another reason is that Western governments, especially the United States are largely dependent on pro-Israeli power circles. Most observers of U.S politics know that pro-Israeli lobbies, who are known as the main kingmakers in the U.S. political system, have dominated the U.S. electoral system for decades now.
It is also important to point about that the U.S. military Industrial complex obtains big profits from the provision of military equipment for Israel and other allies in the region, so U.S. “tech” giants and military corporations make big profit from supporting Israel and reshaping the region to their hegemonic interests.
Last but not least, western mainstream media platforms are controlled by a few corporations that cover up the crimes of the Israeli government. The mainstream Western media outlets frame all developments from a Zionist perspective, usually portraying Israel as the victim that is surrounded by hostile neighbors.
4. How do you assess the response or lack thereof by the UN Security Council in this context? To what extent does its inaction impact the legitimacy of the international legal order and the UN’s credibility as a guardian of international peace and security?
The response of the Unite Nations security council is questionable to say the least, while this is not new. Its lack of decisive action to stop the continued aggression of the State of Israel against its neighbors and the ruthless occupation of Palestine undermines the legitimacy of the U.N body. The U.S. has vetoed resolutions critical of Israel more than any other Security Council member. It has vetoed dozens of Security Council resolutions in since 1945 and slightly over half of its vetoes have been used on resolutions critical of Israel. Of the vetoed resolutions, most have pertained to the Israeli occupation of Palestinian territories or the country’s treatment of the Palestinian people. Therefore, the UN’s credibility as a guardian of International peace and security is significantly damaged.
5. Israel has repeatedly violated international law in Gaza, Lebanon, and now Iran. What legal, diplomatic, or even grassroots mechanisms do you believe can effectively promote accountability and prevent impunity?
I think that a reorganization of the U.N Security Council is absolutely necessary. The veto power of the winners of the second world war and China is unsustainable if the world seeks to avoid double standard and selective behavior by the world most powerful. A more inclusive security council with more members, no permanent members and therefore no veto power by one of them would definitely contribute to a more democratic United Nations Organization.
Also, the promotion of regional alliances it terms of political consultation and joint action is very important, not only at the state level, but also it is necessary to seek interconnection between civil society organizations, think tanks and scholars in order to build sound arguments against manipulation and double standards.
6. As someone familiar with global political dynamics, how have nations aligned against perceived U.S. and Israeli hegemony responded to the conflict involving Israel’s actions, particularly in the aftermath of the attacks on Iran? What role do these nations play in addressing this issue, and what forms of support or actions can they undertake to counter such actions?
Most non- western nation in the Global South openly opposed Israel actions against Iran and the ongoing genocide in Gaza. In Latin America, Cuba and Venezuela stood out in condemning the attacks on Iran as they are countries that also face U.S. aggression. The main action by the nations that opposed U.S. aggressive hegemony and the actions of its main ally, Israel, is to continue to strengthen bilateral or multilateral alliances that built of each one’s strength.
Nations that promote a counter hegemonic foreign policy must use every available international forum and alternative media platform to expose the flagrant violations of international law by the western governments, especially the U.S. and their continued unabashed support for the Zionist regime in Israel.
