The US-Israel attack on Iran paints NZ foreign policy into a corner

The confusion was amplified by Luxon when he said, “we understand fully why the Americans and Israelis have undertaken the independent action” – but that it was up to the US and Israel to explain the legal basis for the attack. Australia, Canada and the UK have similarly declined to question the legality of the attacks, and have largely blamed the repressive clerical regime in Iran for creating a climate that led to the current crisis. On balance, the New Zealand government has failed to demonstrate the moral and legal clarity that the escalating crisis in the Middle East now requires.

Author: Robert G. Patman, Professor of International Relations, University of Otago

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