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Scholars Call Trump’s Iran War Unjust, Fuel Prices Soar

4/30/2026

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Summary

Story summary

Scholars say the U.S. campaign against Iran breaches all just war criteria, deeming it unjustified and disproportionate.
President Donald Trump is directing operations that have killed thousands in Iran and 13 U.S. service members, while a ceasefire holds.
Vice President JD Vance and House Speaker Mike Johnson invoked the just war doctrine, yet scholars say the criteria are unmet and sanctions have raised U.S. gasoline prices 30%.

History

Historical Context

In October 1973 OAPEC, led by Saudi Arabia, imposed an oil embargo on the United States after the Yom Kippur War, driving U.S. gasoline prices up 43 % to 55 cents per gallon by June 1974 and prompting Nixon’s emergency fuel-conservation orders. Today’s U.S. sanctions and strikes against Iran echo that embargo’s economic weaponry and legal controversy.

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Story summary

Scholars say the U.S. campaign against Iran breaches all just war criteria, deeming it unjustified and disproportionate.
President Donald Trump is directing operations that have killed thousands in Iran and 13 U.S. service members, while a ceasefire holds.
Vice President JD Vance and House Speaker Mike Johnson invoked the just war doctrine, yet scholars say the criteria are unmet and sanctions have raised U.S. gasoline prices 30%.

1 / 2