Filipinos and the Philippine government have no business tiptoeing around the unprovoked and illegal attack on Iran by the United States and Israel. I don’t care what people say about the theocratic regime in Tehran, but for it to survive this long — having been in power since the toppling of the Shah in 1979 — only means that it has supporters within the country. A lot of supporters.
Saddam Hussein failed to dislodge it despite waging a bloody eight-year war against the nascent Islamic Republic.
The country has been subjected to multiple direct military strikes, as well as several indirect or covert actions, primarily by Uncle Sam, and yet these have failed to undermine the legitimacy of the government that replaced the corrupt regime of the late Shah through a popular uprising and a national referendum.
I know it must be hard for the United States and its vassal states to fathom that someone would actually reject Western ideals and values for their own, much older endemic culture. Yet, this is exactly what the majority of Iranian people did when they chose to move away from secularization and return to a strict religious state.
But I am not here to give a refresher course on Iran’s long and rich history. Rather, I would like to point out that the United States and Israel’s recent actions in the Middle East are not kosher. And the Global South agrees. So do some countries in the “West,” albeit somewhat reluctantly.
As we all know, we operate under the assumption that everyone abides by the United Nations (UN) Charter, which, by the way, is the foundation of modern international law. Never mind that the United States often takes matters into its own hands, acts unilaterally on its whims and caprices and gets away with it because it is backed by a modern and powerful military that has an estimated total inventory “of approximately 5,177 nuclear warheads, as of early 2025.”
It doesn’t mean we should condone Uncle Sam’s actions, even if our criticisms and condemnations often fall on deaf ears. At least, we can still distinguish between what is wrong and what is right.
So, here’s the deal with the international rules of war. The UN Charter is basically the global rulebook, and its number one rule is: countries can’t just go around attacking each other. There are really only two exceptions to this: either the UN explicitly says it’s okay, or you’re acting in self-defense. Since the UN definitely didn’t green-light the Feb. 28th attack, claiming self-defense is the only excuse they have left.
But playing the self-defense card is actually pretty strict. Sure, you can fight back if you’re actively being punched. Some lawyers even say you can throw the first punch if the other guy’s fist is literally swinging at your face (meaning an attack is imminent). But in this case, a lot of legal experts are looking around and saying, “Wait, where is the proof that Iran was just about to strike?” Without hard evidence of an immediate threat, launching a massive surprise bombing campaign is very hard to justify legally.
Then there’s the whole “regime change” issue. The United States and Israeli officials haven’t exactly hidden the fact that they want to topple the Iranian government — which is pretty obvious since the strikes took out the Supreme Leader. The problem? International law says you absolutely cannot use military force just to overthrow someone else’s government. It is just not a valid legal excuse, no matter how much you dislike the leaders.
Finally, you have to look at the scale of it all. Critics are pointing out that even if the United States and Israel have totally valid worries about Iran funding dangerous proxy groups, going all out with a massive, multi-day bombing spree across the entire country is major overkill. The established rules of war say your military response has to actually match the threat. A lot of folks feel this campaign blew way past that line.
Now, if the Philippine government insists on not outrightly condemning the actions of the United States and Israel, then it is basically ignoring the UN Charter. In doing so, we are rejecting the rules-based international order. If we reject the rules-based international order, then any argument to legitimize or defend our claim to the West Philippine Sea goes out the window.
It is in our best interest that this ongoing conflict stop immediately. Filipinos will have a hard time coping with a massive spike in oil prices, which is inevitable under the present circumstances. The eventual repatriation of more than two million Filipinos working in the Middle East will mean the loss of around $5.7 billion in annual remittances, which our economy can ill afford.
The Philippines must do the right thing and stick up for what is right.