MILITARY AND LEGAL DIMENSIONS OF OPERATION EPIC FURY AGAINST IRAN
Panel Discussion | Online | Mar. 3, 2026
Days after the United States and Israel launched Operation Epic Fury—the joint military campaign aimed at eliminating Iran’s nuclear threat and dismantling its military capabilities—CERL, together with Penn Global, hosted a one-hour virtual panel event to discuss the operational and legal contours of the recent military action in the Middle East.
Speaking on the panel were General Joseph L. Votel, retired four-star general and former commander of U.S. Central Command; Professor Geoffrey Corn, Texas Tech University law professor and national security expert; Ben Wahlhaus, partner at Herzog Law Offices and former Israel Defense Forces legal advisor; and Professor Claire Finkelstein, CERL faculty director and professor at Penn Carey Law, as moderator.
OPERATION EPIC FURY PUTS CONGRESS AND THE CONSTITUTION TO THE TEST
By Geoffrey S. Corn and Claire O. Finkelstein | Opinion for Lawfare | Mar. 11, 2026
The U.S. House of Representatives failed to pass a resolution that would limit President Trump’s power in the ongoing conflict with Iran. Professors Geoffrey Corn, member of CERL’s Advisory Council, and Claire Finkelstein, CERL faculty director, discuss how the Trump administration is likely to interpret the failure of this resolution to obtain a majority vote as implicit approval by Congress of the joint U.S.-Israeli operation.
YOU BET THIS IS A WAR OF CHOICE. JUST NOT AMERICA’S.
By Orde Kittrie and Geoffrey Corn | Opinion for The Washington Post | Mar. 11, 2026
Members of Congress have argued the latest U.S. military action in Iran does not meet the requirement of imminence under the self-defense doctrine in international law. Professors Orde Kittrie and Geoffrey Corn, members of CERL’s Advisory Council, offer a different justification under international law: this operation is part of an ongoing armed conflict between the United States and Iran involving years of attacks launched by Iran either directly or through its proxy network.
Other media coverage
- Executive Board Member Joseph Votel interviewed on, “The weight of our military effort is focused on going after the stores of missiles, former CENTCOM commander says,” Fox News, Mar. 2, 2026.
Watch at Fox News ↗ - Executive Board Member Joseph Votel interviewed on, “Generals react to Trump’s latest comments on Iran strikes,” Yahoo! News, Mar. 2, 2026.
Watch at Yahoo! News ↗ - Advisory Council Member Mary Ellen O’Connell quoted in, “Congress expected to consider war powers resolution after US, Israel strikes on Iran,” by Kate Scanlon, National Catholic Reporter, Mar. 2, 2026.
Read at National Catholic Reporter ↗ - CERL mentioned in, “Penn community responds to U.S. military strikes in Iran,” The Daily Pennsylvanian, Mar. 4, 2026.
Read at the DP ↗ - Affiliated Faculty Member Michael Horowitz interviewed on, “War In Iran: UPenn professor analyzes political and economic fallout,” NBC News, Mar. 3, 2026.
Watch at NBC News ↗ - Affiliated Faculty Member Michael Horowitz interviewed in, “Expert viewpoints on the Iran war,” Penn Today, Mar. 4, 2026.
Read at Penn Today ↗ - Affiliated Faculty Member Michael Horowitz quoted in, “How AI is shaping the war in Iran — and what’s next for future conflicts,” by Nicola Jones, Nature, Mar. 5, 2026.
Read at Nature ↗ - Executive Board Member Joseph Votel interviewed on, “Operation Epic Fury: What Comes Next?,” Middle East Institute, Mar. 7, 2026.
Watch at Middle East Institute ↗ - Advisory Council Member Mary Ellen O’Connell quoted in, “Trump’s Iran War Violates International Law, Experts Say,” by W.G. Dunlop, Barron’s, Mar. 6, 2026.
Read at Barron’s ↗