On March 4th, 2026, a U.S. submarine sank the Iranian warship IRIS Dena in international waters. Federal criminal defense attorney and former Marine Corps officer Ron Chapman breaks down whether it was a lawful military strike or a war crime under U.S. and international law.

Ron has analyzed law of armed conflict violations in the field — this is not outside commentary. He walks through the War Powers Act, maritime law, and the targeting standards that governed every decision in that chain of command.

This episode covers:

• The War Powers Act and the legal justification for the strike
• International objections to the Dena sinking, including from Swiss officials
• What qualifies a vessel as a valid military target under maritime law
• Why the Nuremberg defense protects no one in the chain of command
• What the documented legal analysis behind a strike of this scale looks like

If you want to understand what the law actually requires in a moment like this, this episode provides the framework.

Key Takeaways:

00:00 Intro
01:00 The Dena sinking: what happened on March 4th, 2026
02:14 International law objections to the strike
03:00 US justification: war powers and active hostilities
04:04 How military commanders assess a valid target
05:00 The Nuremberg defense and personal legal accountability
06:28 The paper trail behind every weapon release
07:00 What a law of armed conflict investigation looks like
08:16 My Lai, Abu Ghraib, and lessons from LOAC history
09:12 Ron's legal verdict on the Dena strike

Additional Resources:

Official website: https://ronaldwchapman.com/ 

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