On 28 February 2026, the US and Israel launched a coordinated aerial attack on Iran. The Iranian response included not only the use of force against Israeli and US targets, but also against the territories of several States which were
EJIL: Talk!
EJIL: Talk! is published by the European Journal of International Law and focuses on contemporary issues in international law. The blog covers topics such as the legal frameworks governing military interventions and coups, developments in human rights law including children’s rights and education, challenges in prosecuting war crimes and mercenary activities, and theoretical reflections on the nature and authority of international law. It also addresses less explored areas like the application of international humanitarian law to maritime contexts. The blog engages with current events and scholarly debates to analyze the interpretation and application of international legal principles in diverse and evolving situations.
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At Peace, Yet Under Fire – Blockade Enforcement against Third State Vessels and the U.N Charter
From April 13 to June 18, the U.S.A implemented a blockade against Iran. As part of the blockade enforcement, on June 9th, it attacked the Palau-flagged oil tanker M/T Settebello 20 miles north-east of Sohar in Oman’s Exclusive Economic…
Can China Lead the Way in Constraining Economic Coercion? Sanctions, Chokepoints, and the Perils of Convergence
Economic coercion remains ill-defined in international law, but its importance is growing ever more evident by the day. At various points, for example, a negotiated settlement to the US-Iran War has reportedly been blocked in key part by disagreements over…
International Courts Against the Defunding of Climate Science? Revisiting the ICJ’s Climate Change Advisory Opinion
Introduction
The first eighteen months of the second Trump administration have witnessed a sustained assault on scientific infrastructures enabling understanding of anthropogenic climate change. This has taken the form of cuts to national science agencies; freezes and dramatic reductions in…
Beyond Strasbourg: The Chișinău Declaration in Europe’s Multi-Level Human Rights Architecture
Political declarations are not new to the system established through the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR). The Chișinău Declaration, recently adopted by the Council of Europe’s Committee of Ministers, nevertheless differs from earlier declarations that primarily addressed…
Announcements: CfP Economic Security and Competitive Markets; CfP The Irish Yearbook of International Law; CfA Yerevan International Conference on International Humanitarian Law
By Mary Guest
1. Call for Papers: Economic Security and Competitive Markets – Reconciling Conflicting Ambitions. The Research Centre for State and Law (SteR) at Radboud University is inviting abstracts for an international conference entitled Economic Security and Competitive Markets: Reconciling Conflicting Ambitions,…
Christopher Nolan and International Law
Sand
Tomorrow, Christopher Nolan’s The Odyssey will come clattering into cinemas around the world. There will no doubt be talk of plotlines, performances, accents, and fidelity to the source text—perhaps even some mentions of the curious absence of Greek actors.…
How the war in Ukraine impacts the law and politics of security guarantees
The paradoxical revival of security guarantees
Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022 has revived the concept of security guarantees. Their content and scope have been central to scholarly and political debates about Kyiv’s resistance to the Russian aggression (see…
Red lines in a grey zone: the validity of a Russia-Ukraine peace treaty under international law
By Asli Ozcelik
While peace still appears remote, the prospect of a negotiated end to the war in Ukraine raises difficult questions concerning the international law governing inter-state peace treaties. The unlawfulness of Russia’s use of force and the peace plans proposed to…
Substantive Implications of the Duty of Vigilance Ruling Against TotalEnergies
In its 25 June 2026 judgment in NAAT et al. v. TotalEnergies, the Paris Judicial Court ordered TotalEnergies to update its vigilance plan within six months to address climate-related risks arising from its Scope 3 emissions—emissions from the combustion of…