Is the Iran War Just? Regis Hosts Dialogue With Rev. Gerry Murray Jr. ’76 and Phil Klay ’01

Regis on Tuesday hosted a dialogue between Rev. Gerry Murray Jr. ’76 and Phil Klay ’01 on the topic of whether the war in Iran is just according to the principles of Catholic Just War Theory. Taking opposing viewpoints, the two alumni engaged in a thoughtful discussion that considered the conflict in Iran through the lens of the theory, which lays out strict conditions under which war may be morally permissible.

The event was the first in the new Deo et Patriae Dialogues series, which will bring diverse alumni speakers to Regis to further our devotion to Deo et Patriae and foster in our students a lifelong commitment to service as men for others.

Fr. Murray, a canon lawyer and the pastor of St. Joseph’s Church on East 87th Street who argued on a recent episode of the podcast The Prayerful Posse that the war meets the criteria of the Just War Theory, explained why he believes the conflict is justified.

“My essential contention is that an Iranian government which has a demonstrated history of hostility to the United States and Israel, including repeated attacks over four decades, is a serious, present, and imminent danger to the United States and her allies, and therefore this conflict was entered into justly,” said Fr. Murray.

Klay, a writer and Marine Corps veteran who wrote an essay critical of the war in the New York Times earlier this month, argued that the conflict does not meet the criteria of the Just War Theory.

“Given that a just war requires every single element [of Just War Theory], it's astonishing that the current conflict manages to fail on most of them,” said Klay. He added, “Worse than the lack of clarity around the war's cause is our muddled strategic purpose.”

Tuesday’s dialogue was moderated by Mr. Eric DiMichele, Regis’s Director of Community Engagement and the longtime coach of the Hearn Speech and Debate Society.

During his introductory remarks, President Rev. Christopher Devron, SJ, said that while the Church consistently favors peace and nonviolence, it also recognizes the reality of human brokenness and the need, at times, to defend innocent life. The question of whether to use military force, he told the gathered students and faculty, is not an abstract debate.

“This war has placed young Americans — around your age in a volunteer army — in harm’s way,” said Fr. Devron. “You may even know some among your relatives or neighbors. And yet, we have to acknowledge that we also face these serious threats — threats from a repressive regime which violates human rights, murders thousands of its own people, pursues nuclear weapons, and destabilizes regions. So these tensions make moral clarity both more difficult and more necessary.”

You can watch the full Deo et Patriae Dialogue between Fr. Murray and Klay here:

To see a list of books recommended by Mr. Eric DiMichele on U.S.-Iranian relations and Iranian regional influence, click here.