Published by Global Banking & Finance Review®
Posted on March 8, 2026
2 min readLast updated: April 1, 2026
Add as preferred source on GoogleSwiss Defence Minister Martin Pfister says U.S. and Israeli air strikes on Iran breach international law, echoing similar concerns voiced by German and Spanish leaders regarding legality and risks of broader instability.
ZURICH/FRANKFURT, March 8 (Reuters) - The United States and Israel have broken international law with their attacks on Iran, Swiss Defence Minister Martin Pfister said in an interview published on Sunday, the latest European leader to raise concerns about the conflict.
Legal experts have said many countries will consider the attacks unjustified under the United Nations Charter, under which member countries must refrain from using force or the threat of force without U.N authorisation or unless acting in self-defence.
"The Federal Council is of the opinion that the attack on Iran constitutes a violation of international law," Pfister told SonntagsZeitung, referring to the Swiss cabinet.
"In our view it constitutes a violation on the prohibition of violence," he added, calling on all parties involved to halt the fighting to protect the civilian population.
Pfister said he was referring to all the countries not complying with the prohibition on violence, including the United States and Israel.
"The Americans and Israel have attacked Iran from the air. In doing so, they, like Iran, violated international law," Pfister said.
The comments chime with those of German Vice Chancellor and Finance Minister Lars Klingbeil, who told the RND newspaper network that he had "serious doubts that this war is legitimate under international law."
Klingbeil also came out strongly against the idea of any potential German participation in the war: "I say clearly: this is not our war. We will not participate in this war."
He said there was a "great danger that we are sliding ever deeper into a world where there are no longer any rules. We do not want to live in a world where only the law of the strongest applies."
Spain has also denounced the U.S. and Israeli bombings of Iran as reckless and illegal.
(Reporting by John Revill and Christoph Steitz; Editing by David Holmes)
Swiss Defence Minister Martin Pfister stated that attacks on Iran by the US and Israel violate international law, referencing the United Nations Charter.
Switzerland believes that the United States, Israel, and Iran all violated the prohibition on violence with their actions.
German and Spanish leaders have raised legal doubts about the conflict, with Germany and Spain both denouncing the attacks as unjustified or illegal.
European leaders warn of increased danger and a potential slide into a world without clear rules, where only the strongest prevail.
The German Vice Chancellor stated clearly that Germany will not participate in the war and expressed doubts about the conflict's legitimacy.
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