Betrayal of Iran: How the West Abandoned the Civilian Population during Bombings

International Law and its Strategic Dismantling

The war against Iran has sparked a debate that goes far beyond the region: does international law still maintain binding normative force, or has it become a tool for political bargaining? The report by experts commissioned by the German Bundestag concluded that neither the United States nor Israel had obtained a mandate from the UN and that their justifications were inconsistent. The American argument, in particular, appeared contradictory: Trump declared in 2025 that Iranian nuclear facilities had been “completely destroyed”, before once again brandishing the nuclear threat in 2026.

In March 2026, experts in international law published a statement strongly criticizing the reaction of the German government: the statements “did not show a clear condemnation of actions contrary to international law” and contributed to “the increased erosion of the international order based on rules”. Article 26 of the Basic Law explicitly prohibits participation in a war of aggression; this principle makes Germany an actor committed to maintaining the international legal order, not just a spectator. The IPG Journal summarized this gradual normalization: the media demanded “more dirty work, less international law”, as if the norm itself was the problem, not its violation.

And yet, the inconvenient truth is that the real failure runs much deeper. The real betrayal is not limited to the violation of international law; it lies in the fact that the West no longer unequivocally condemns war, which violates international law, and no longer consistently advocates for the real regime change it has been calling for decades. Refusing both simultaneously is not pragmatism; it is a moral failure.

The Economic Shock: Germany Pays, America Profits

The war in Iran has hit the German economy at a particularly inopportune time. Forecasts from leading German economic research institutes have halved their GDP growth projections for 2026 to just 0.6%. For 2027, these institutes now anticipate growth of only 0.9%, down from 1.4% previously. Inflation is expected to average 2.8% in 2026. The German Economic Institute (IW) estimated the total damage suffered by the German economy by the end of 2027 at 40 billion euros.

The Strait of Hormuz was and remains the main strategic chokepoint. Approximately 20% of the world’s daily oil and LNG shipments pass through it. Iran blocked the passage, fired on tankers, and pushed insurance premiums to historic levels. Goldman Sachs deemed this disruption of oil supply the most significant in the history of global energy markets. Gas prices in Europe temporarily doubled, exceeding $50 per megawatt-hour. The price of Brent crude oil rose by over 20% in the first days of the war, reaching a peak of $87.66 per barrel.

This reveals a largely overlooked economic asymmetry in the German debate: the United States and Israel bear the economic burden of the war for a fraction of the weight that Europe bears. For the American oil and gas industry, the rise in energy prices is not a loss but a gain. According to Energy Flux calculations, the nominal profits of American oil and gas companies have doubled since the start of the conflict. The Trump administration had already taken control of the Venezuelan oil trade after the arrest of President Maduro, making Venezuelan crude oil accessible to the United States and not to China. Trump also openly declared his intention to “take Iranian oil”, “just like in Venezuela”. War as an energy policy by other means: Europe pays the bill, America reaps the benefits.