Norway’s deputy foreign minister has publicly declared the US-Israeli war on Iran illegal under international law, telling Middle East Eye in Oslo on June 13 that the conflict has no basis in the UN Charter — while confirming that Oslo is actively working to bring the parties back to the negotiating table.
Andreas Kravik, Norway’s deputy foreign minister and a trained public international lawyer, made the remarks in an interview with Middle East Eye’s Expert Witness podcast, four months after the war began on February 28. He said Norway had conducted its own legal assessment and reached an unambiguous conclusion.
“In our interpretation of the law, it is not a legal operation,” Kravik said. “We think that is a violation of the UN Charter, and we have said so in no unclear terms.”
Kravik laid out the three conditions under which a state may lawfully use force against another: authorisation from the UN Security Council, self-defence against an immediate threat, or the consent of the targeted state. He said none of these applied in Iran’s case. “There is no authorisation here from the UN Security Council… and there was no consent from Iranian authorities,” he told Middle East Eye.
Norway’s position puts Oslo at odds with Washington, one of its NATO allies, and reflects a deliberate choice to apply the same legal standards to friends as to adversaries. Kravik said selective enforcement was the single greatest threat to the international legal order.
“Sometimes it can be more important to criticise or take on some of your closest allies,” he said. “If we move into a global community where we speak out only when our adversaries violate the law, and not where our friends do so, then the law will eventually collapse.”
Kravik did not exempt Iran from scrutiny. He said Tehran retained the right to self-defence under the UN Charter but had itself violated international law through strikes on third countries and an earlier domestic crackdown on protesters responding to economic deterioration. “Every state has a right to self-defence, including Iran,” he said, but added that “that self-defence needs to be proportionate” and must not target civilians.
Norway’s Mediation Role
Oslo’s legal condemnation of the war has not translated into diplomatic withdrawal. Kravik confirmed that Norway has positioned itself as a quiet mediator, backing Pakistan’s efforts to return the warring parties to negotiations. He travelled to Islamabad in May 2026 to meet Pakistani Deputy Prime Minister Ishaq Dar and army chief General Asim Munir. He also held separate meetings with Iran’s foreign minister in Tehran and Oman’s foreign minister in Muscat.
Kravik described Norway’s message in each of those meetings as consistent. “It’s important that the parties return to the table, that they are adamant in finding a diplomatic solution, and that that solution ensures that the Strait of Hormuz is managed in a way that comports with the basic principles enshrined in the law of the sea,” he said.
The Strait of Hormuz has been closed by Iran for much of the war, according to Middle East Eye, with the United States blockading Iranian ports in retaliation. The closure of the strait — the world’s most critical oil and gas shipping route — has compounded the conflict’s global economic impact.
Israel has also expanded the war front into Lebanon, according to Middle East Eye, adding a new dimension to a conflict that began in February and has shown no sign of resolution.
ICC and ICJ Positions
Kravik used the interview to address Norway’s stance on two international judicial bodies facing pressure from the United States.
On the International Criminal Court, he condemned US sanctions against its judges and prosecutors in unsparing terms. “The fact that some third states who aren’t party to the court have decided to sanction court officials for just doing their jobs is unconscionable,” he said, calling the court’s integrity and mandate more important now than at any prior point.
Asked whether Norway would enforce the ICC’s arrest warrant for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu if he set foot on Norwegian soil, Kravik gave a direct answer. “If there is an arrest warrant attached to an individual who is on Norwegian soil, we will execute on that warrant,” he said.
He also addressed the disciplinary process surrounding ICC chief prosecutor Karim Khan. A judicial panel appointed by the court’s oversight body found no grounds for terminating Khan’s contract. Kravik said that finding should be binding. “When the report and three judges have come to the conclusion that there are no grounds for the termination of his contract, then I think that should be respected by states.” Ignoring it, he said, would create “a perception of politicisation of the process” that would damage the court’s credibility.
On the International Court of Justice, Kravik said Israel was not complying with an advisory opinion — obtained through a Norwegian-led UN resolution — requiring it to facilitate humanitarian aid to Gaza and not obstruct UNRWA, the UN agency for Palestinian refugees. “At the current moment, we’re seeing that those decisions by the ICJ are not respected by Israel,” he said. “That’s extremely unfortunate.” Norway, he confirmed, would continue to fund UNRWA, which he described as “an indispensable organisation.”
Background
The US-Israeli war on Iran began on February 28, 2026, according to Middle East Eye. Norway, though a NATO member and long-standing US ally, has maintained a tradition of independent foreign policy positions, including its historic role hosting the 1993 Oslo Accords between Israel and the Palestinian Liberation Organisation. Kravik is a former chief of legal affairs at Norway’s foreign ministry and published an essay in March 2026 in Project Syndicate arguing that international law remained worth defending “even if it protects those who least deserve it.” Pakistan has emerged as a key diplomatic broker in the current conflict, with Islamabad pursuing parallel outreach to both Washington and Tehran.
What Happens Next
Norway will continue supporting Pakistan’s mediation effort to bring the US, Israel, and Iran back to direct or indirect talks, Kravik confirmed. Oslo’s priority condition for any settlement is a framework governing the Strait of Hormuz that complies with international maritime law. On the ICC, states party to the court are expected to take a position on the judicial panel’s findings regarding prosecutor Karim Khan in the coming weeks. Norway has indicated it will push for those findings to be respected as binding. No timeline for a diplomatic breakthrough in the Iran conflict has been formally announced by any of the parties involved.
