Western governments’ abandonment of the very system of international law which they created was embodied in a tweet from the German Ministry of Foreign Affairs, which sought to justify the illegal Israeli attack on Iran as “Targeted strikes against Iranian nuclear facilities”.
The former Director General of the International Atomic Energy Authority, Mohammed El-Baradei, was left to point out that far from a justification, it is specifically against international law to target nuclear facilities.
He refers to Article 56 of the Additional Protocol to the Geneva Conventions. While we are on the subject, you might also wish to see article 54:
It is worth noting that the exception on destruction of foodstuffs at Article 5 refers to the right of a country which is defending against invasion, not which is invading another country. It means that it is not illegal for a country to destroy crops and stocks of its own, on its own territory. Which is to say a scorched-earth policy against an invader is legal. It does not give the right to refuse supplies to a population under occupation.
The German justification was of course just part of a chorus of Western support for the Israeli attack on Iran, in which numerous Western leaders all parroted a co-ordinated line about “Israel’s right of self-defence”, even as Israel conducted an entirely illegal and unprovoked attack on Iran during peace talks.
There are dozens of examples, but I give you the openly genocidal von der Leyen as one:
Spoke with President @Isaac_Herzog concerning the escalating situation in the Middle East.
I reiterated Israel’s right to defend itself and protect its people. At the same time, preserving regional stability is vital.
I urge all parties to act with maximum restraint and work…
— Ursula von der Leyen (@vonderleyen) June 13, 2025
On Thursday, before Israel attacked Iran, I attended the UN General Assembly debate on Palestine. This had limited utility as it mandated no specific measures and did not suspend Israel from the United Nations, the one truly useful action the General Assembly has the power to implement.
The motion called for an immediate ceasefire and for states to take “all necessary measures”, but that is the last we shall hear of it. It passed by 150 votes to 12, with opposition from the United States, its de facto colonies and the small far-right collection of Argentina, Paraguay etc.
But there was one interesting point in the Statements, known as Explanations of Vote, of the national delegations. These too were very routine, with Arab states that have not the slightest intention of actually doing anything, condemning Israel and western nations all launching blood-curdling condemnations of Hamas (yes, really, that was still their priority, 60,000 dead Palestinian civilians later).
But the UK explanation of vote made one point that absolutely nobody else made. It stuck out like a sore thumb. The British Ambassador to the UN stated that
“While the UK voted in favour of this resolution, we wish to clarify that our long-standing position remains that there is no legal obligation on states to ensure respect for international law by third parties.”
When the EOV was published, this part of the statement was bolstered by a reference to Common Article 1 of the Geneva Convention. I do not recall her actually saying this and it is not in my notes.
Common Article 1 (so called because it is present in every one of the Geneva Conventions) reads:
Article 1
The High Contracting Parties undertake to respect and to ensure respect for the present Convention in all circumstances.
So why did the UK, and the UK alone, say that it is not responsible for ensuring that other parties comply with international law, adding later a specific reference to the Geneva Conventions?
It is perfectly simple. Starmer and Lammy are terrified about future charges of complicity in Israeli war crimes. So the UK, only, feels it necessary to emphasise that they do not bear legal responsibility for Israel’s actions.
They claim they are not responsible for what Israel did with the supplies of UK munitions, which the UK increased to fuel the genocide.
They claim they are not responsible for what Israel did with the targeting information they gave Israel on a daily basis from RAF Akrotiri flights over Gaza.
They claim they are not responsible for the Israeli use of weapons flown in through the UK and Akrotiri.
They claim they are not responsible for use of the F-35 jets attacking Iran now, which they continue to supply with UK-manufactured spare parts.
We simply do not yet know what else they have done to support Israel based on the secret UK-Israeli defence treaty, but whatever it is, Starmer and Lammy want to make absolutely plain that the UK had no responsibility to prevent Israel from committing war crimes.
The claim that this is longstanding British policy is of course a rather frivolous bit of gaslighting. Indeed given that this argument runs completely counter to the doctrine of “the responsibility to protect” – of which the UK was the leading international proponent – it is simple nonsense.
[As it happens I always opposed the “responsibility to protect” argument because it is used as an excuse for Imperialism, cf. the destruction of Libya.]
The Genocide Convention in fact explicitly does create a duty on states to prevent genocide by third parties.
Article I of the Genocide Convention reads:
The Contracting Parties confirm that genocide, whether committed in time of peace or in time of war, is a crime under international law which they undertake to prevent and to punish.
So the declaration by Starmer and Lammy of not bearing responsibility really does not wash. The interesting thing is that they felt compelled to make it.
The evening after the debate I attended receptions hosted by both the British Ambassador and then by the Russian Ambassador, and I spoke to a large number of Ambassadors to the UN. Of course we discussed the debate, and everybody had noticed both the extraordinary and unusual addition to the UK statement and its motive.
They all specifically realised it was an effort to back away from responsibility for complicity in Israeli crimes.
I understand and share your disappointment at the collapse of international law. But I can tell you that the prospect of eventual retribution at the Hague still terrifies Starmer and Lammy.
Netanyahu’s desperate gamble in attacking Iran is an attempt to force the USA to join the war on Israel’s behalf, and to prevent peace talks.
It is of course simply untrue that Iran was about to produce a nuclear weapon. Every Spring a CIA-led US intelligence exercise formally reviews the situation, and the firm position of Five Eyes intelligence remains that Iran genuinely was not seeking to make a nuclear weapon.
I hope that Iran learns the lesson of Southern Lebanon. There, over many months, Israeli air superiority enabled them to substantially degrade missile systems of various resistance factions. Israel does – not least because of the traitors ruling Jordan and Syria – have air superiority over Iran. In a long war of attrition, Israeli bombing raids could do real damage to Iranian capabilities.
Iran’s best strategy would be to view this as the existential crisis, and seriously unload its missile capacity on Israel without restraint. The period of measured tit-for-tat reprisals is at an end. The decision of nuclear-armed Pakistan to stand behind Iran was extremely helpful. These are early days in the Israeli-Iranian war. I do not sense any popular enthusiasm in the USA to be involved. Even the mainstream American media is characterising Iranian attacks as “retaliation” and the Israeli victim card is no longer as Platinum as it used to be here in the USA.
Germany has been refuelling Israeli jets en route to attack Iran, and the UK may also have been doing so. Starmer and Macron have both expressed determination to defend Israel with their own military but both would face massive popular resistance.
We wait to see what happens next. But having lived through vicious Israeli bombardment of Beirut, having been menaced by drones in the Bekaa Valley, having stood on the line at Kfar Kila while a twelve-year-old boy was shot standing next to my producer, having witnessed 100,000 Lebanese homes destroyed, I have no sympathy left for Tel Aviv.
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It’s clearly becoming pointless looking to international law when the West won’t uphold it, and unscrupulous types in the security establishments of the US and UK have sought to manipulate the selections for key positions within major international global organizations , to make sure their chosen lackeys are in place. Lots of examples: UN, OPCW; IAEA – the US pays the piper and they think they alone should call the tune… objectivity & neutrality be damned. Such myopia, by undermining respect and trust in these organizations they are creating a world of chaos. It says more about the quality of the leadership in the US and UK to be honest.
Quite simply – Israel is a Terrorist state and being backed to the hilt by the entire Western political class. The short march down the road to Fascism is well underway all across NATO. The Baltic chihuahua states are already there, the unholy duopoly of Trump and Milekowsky (Bibi’s real name) backed by a myriad of western leaders.
Targeted assassinations of scientists and military leaders (with their families as collateral damage), attempts on Khomeini (and Putin), car bombs, exploding pagers – rumoured that one of the latest targets was tracked by a watch gifted from Qatari royal. All enabled by the the 24/7 watchful eye of smart phones, watches and devices. I have even seen papers where they can use a 5g WiFi router to give a real time, 3d image of an apartment using AI.
I have never seen such fury and hatred of sitting governments as is in place now.
Not only that but non of the Arab or Muslim states that have relations with Israel have even bothered to stop relations or trading with Israel nor have China and Russia. It is a very strange situation where the whole world just watches the genocide and nobody is willing to stop it.
” Iran’s best strategy would be to view this as the existential crisis, and seriously unload its missile capacity on Israel without restraint. ”
Kill even more Israeli civilians and whilst they might be widely hated do you really believe that would either change Israel’s strategy or end this conflict?
Yes, you just have to kill enough of them. They are only good at fighting unarmed women and babies.
” Iran’s best strategy would be to view this as the existential crisis, and seriously unload its missile capacity on Israel without restraint. ”
I’d imagine that’d be a difficult task logistically, as Iran’s rocket arsenal includes both liquid-fueled and solid-fueled missiles. Solid fuel missiles are safer to use, easier to manoeuvre and faster to deploy than liquid-propelled variants. North Korea have been switching to solid fueled variants because they are much faster to deploy.
We don’t even know if Iran can access its arsenal, or what is left of it? As it’s mostly stored in large underground sites. There are reports that various sites have been damaged or destroyed. Israel have been planning this operation for years, with the express aim of destroyng Iran’s ability to respond. Probably why you’ve seen such limited salvos.
If Israel have destroyed much of Iran’s underground missile storage, it goes without saying that it’s an incredible military intelligence failure on Iran’s part. You’d imagine the network of tunnels would be designed in a way as tpo make that impossible : Blast doors etc and zig-zagging layout. This coming after Ismail Haniyeh, the political leader of Hamas, was assassinated along with his personal bodyguard in the Iranian capital Tehran by an Israeli attack in 2024. It’s startling that Iran hasn’t got similar embedded covert units in place, in Israel, to disrupt their defence and destroy military assets. For the one advantage Iran has over Israel, after all, is numbers, or more precisely, military personnel.
You look at the high-ranking Iranian Generals who’ve been killed, and they all seem to be old men; men who probably date back to Khomeini’s revolution; The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps(IRGC) leadership looks like it was possibly appointed based on their loyalty to the Supreme Leader and the revolution, rather than any special military prowess or competence perhaps?
Careful. We only know what we are being told, mainly, by the MSM. The reality may be different.
I wouldn’t unload ALL of my capacity, unless it’s being renewed in the background. Once it’s gone Iran would be at risk from others. Intelligent targeting is essential, not just airstrips but ports and water supplies. Put Israel under siege. IMO.
It’s funny how all non-western backed kinetic actions are described as “killing civilians” and never mention legitimate military targets. Yet all western backed and approved targets are “precision strikes” with regrettable but unavoidable “collateral damage.” Unavoidable because our nasty enemies who rape babies use human shields.
Pears, you’ve been aware since Oct 7 of Israel’s propensity to bomb Palestinian civilians, I believe you have expressed condemnation of the Gaza genocide. Or was that JK. Why would Iran waste resource bombing civilians instead of taking out (or trying to) legitimate military targets?
Do you think Israel has just cause to attack Iran? Do you accept Iran has a right to defend itself?
it was Craig who suggested that Iran should unload its missile capacity ‘without restraint’ and who thinks that if you kill enough Israelis Israel will either surrender or change its strategy. This despite experience from both world wars and SE Asia proving otherwise. It’s also redolent of US foreign policy that the answer to genocide is more genocide and what of the two million or so Arabs who live in Israel, 21% of the population, who aren’t allowed in the bomb shelters? Are they to be dismissed as collateral damage?
It’s an odd position for a human rights activist to take.
You are dissembling Pears. I asked two specifically directed questions to ascertain your viewpoint.
Do you think Israel has just cause to attack Iran? Do you accept Iran has a right to defend itself?
I am asking those questions of you Pears, you alone with no reference to anyone else’s opinions or posts. Will you dissemble or answer?
NCND
– “It’s an odd position for a human rights activist to take.”
What’s the alternative? What’s your alternative? Capitulation to fascism? Craig already outlined Iran’s predicament, in the line before the one you quoted:
– “Israel does – not least because of the traitors ruling Jordan and Syria – have air superiority over Iran. In a long war of attrition, Israeli bombing raids could do real damage to Iranian capabilities.”
Craig, you wrote:
– “…and did not suspend Israel from the United Nations, the one truly useful action the General Assembly has the power to implement“.
What about the Uniting for Peace Resolution 337V? Apparently, this “authorises action”, and has authorised armed intervention 13 times.
Failing that, should not regional alliances act under Chapter VIII of the UN Charter?
Yes, right on both points Clark. I should have added and might be persuaded to take. I am working on it!
Good one Craig; power to you.
British complicity in Israel’s actions is like in the song:
“Once the rockets are up, who cares where they come down?
That’s not my department!, says Wernher von Braun.”
With israel’s standing amongst citizens across the world at an all time low,
due to its behaviour in Gaza and the Occupied West Bank,
will their opinion now be in favour of Iran?
Despite the nonsense in the legacy media,
and despite the nonsense from our bought-and-paid-for politicians…?
Thanks, Craig. The case against Starmer and Lammy for knowingly aiding genocide and crimes against humanity could hardly be more solid. No genocide in history has been more witnessed, documented and confessed to in real time.
It is not only the multifaceted material aid they have signed off on for an obvious brutal genocide – the arms licenses, the F-35 parts, the surveillance, the training etc. It is their words. They have persistently denied genocide in the face of expert assessment. They have depicted the worst war crimes ever seen – snipered toddlers, the group photos with the toys and clothing of murdered children and women – as Israel righteously “defending herself”.
Starmer told Nick Ferraris on LBC that he believed Israel “does have that right” to cut off water and power to the entire population of Gaza. Lammy went further even than the Israelis themselves in trying to dehumanise Palestinians and justify their extermination when he assured Sky News that Palestinians had “raped babies”.
Those statements were televised long before the last election but there was never a remote suggestion from any corner of Britain’s political commentariat or from any parliamentarian that it made these particular men unfit to hold the highest offices in the land.
That is Britain in the 2020s and it is why Starmer and Lammy are still able to flourish here and be presented by the state broadcaster as moral lanterns while participating in the mass slaughter of the most vulnerable people on earth.
They know however that the outside world is not like Britain and that an impregnable case is being built against them.
Meanwhile the internet is turned off in Gaza and the Israeli are up to more mischief on an even larger scale.
A BBC spokesman for Israel ‘reported’ from Tel Aviv on today’s World at One about the tragic loss of life due to Iranian attacks, and – you might not want to read this next bit – two of them were children, and a number of injuries were sustained.
After going into some detail of this unprecedented crime, the reporter – still speaking on behalf of Israel – declared that this is why Iran cannot be allowed to have nuclear weapons, because they would be used in striking Israel right now, had they been in possession of same.
Humiliating videos keep coming out Iran where Israel quite freely seem to conduct bombings of whole streets and conduct multiple car-bombings/assassinations per day. It is sad to watch but I do not blame Iran, what to do when you do not want to fight but face a stronger sicko that love to pick and humiliate you.
This subversion and infiltration of another state is of course, by itself, a brazen of crime of international law, the breaching of another state and their sovereignty. The israelis seems to be devious to a perverse degree, this is obviously not a people that fear for their existence of a holocaust etc, no this is a sinister people that enjoy risks and relish in humiliating and killing people of weaker nations, powers to dominate them, to suppress them to make them bow down to the Herrenvolk of Israel. Israel take such freedoms it is repulsive, and the appeasement by the West just keep egging them on. What a weird, unsettling type of people… I am done with the distinction between Israeli leaders vs israeli population, this is a nation of full-blown sociopaths. Far too long did I naively believe that there was sane people in Israel but they really are a lunatic state altogether.
It is also telling how cunning this whole aggression against Iran started. As the motto of Mossad goes, ‘By way of deception you shall engage in war.’ Israel started off by creating an international campaing against Iran by
1. Feeding false intelligence data to IAEA about alleged violations of the NPT/Nuclear treaty Iran has with the IAEA (even israeli media admit that Mossad is behind majority of claims that IAEA base their analyis on: https://www.jpost.com/middle-east/iran-news/article-857003 )
2. Then, this caused a massive media western coverage and a narrative is built that imply Iran is somehow a threat, op-eds are written etc to influence the western mind
3. Based on this Israel start attacking Iran and luring Iran to respond
4. When Iran respond in kind, Israel rise the bar and try to justify an even stronger, expanded bombardment of Iran, trying to not only destroy the nuclear program but the military and part of the leadership of Iran itself = regime change.
It is is insane how gullible westerners are defending this – it is the Iraq war WMD hoax all over – it is like Israel, they have the right to do anything, it so bizarre and to put it extremely blunt, it is like Starmer could watch his kids being gang raped by Netanyahu, Ben-Gvir and Smotrich and Starmer would still back these nasties.
Imagine if it was other way around – that Iran infiltrated Israel, set off car bombs, conducted sabotage bombed Israel out of nowhere murdered israelis scientists, murdered high ranking military reps. Imagine the reaction. But arabs, iranians, muslims no they are set to another lower standard they have no right to use international law. Not one of these “rule based order” hypocrites have said the obvious – that Iran has the right to defend itself.
“It is is insane how gullible westerners are defending this…”
They aren’t gullible Jack, they are actively participating in it, indeed, the master planners of all of it. This has been their plan since decades. Wasn’t it Gen. Wesley Clark who stated that the Bush (junior) administration plan was to attack Iraq first before taking action against Syria, Lebanon, Libya, Iran, Somalia and Sudan back in 2001. I would contend that plan was in action before 9/11. Iran is the last to be taken down in that list.
Unless there is a momentous change they are succeeding with that plan. After that Russia and China.
They are ruthless and relentless. Iran should’ve clearly been absolutely paranoid about Israel, because however far-fetched some plot or scheme seemed, if remotely plausible, Israel will be examining carrying it out. The western signals intelligence sharing no doubt helps too : ubiquitous mobile phones are the best thing ever invented for hegemonic Western powers: Where people go; who people meet; who they talk to – what they say, there’s no privacy, FVEYs has fibre intercept capability across the whole Middle East, due to protected Gulf regimes allowing for said interception in a quid pro quo arrangement. And increasingly the compute capability exists to meaningfully process it all. Those opposing don’t stand a chance.
I suppose the bottom line is – how can you have any sympathy for the Israeli’s who have murdered and pillaged and stolen another peoples lands – I don’t know how many online clips I’ve seen, of IOF troops and settlers making obscene short clips of themselves in dead or forced out Palestinians homes – to them the genocide is just one big laugh.
On Lammy and Starmer – I hope they get locked up and the keys get thrown away – they are vile evil people.
Never fear, ‘Sir’ Starmer and Lammy will receive honours from the establishment. Being a murderous swine is no impediment to political advancement.
Stevie Boy
Indeed, just look at Tony Blair, still swanning around as free as a bird – and lauded by the worst of society.
https://wikispooks.com/wiki/Tony_Blair_Institute_for_Global_Change
It is truly astonishing, however utterly predictable, the level of cognitive dissonance among the vast majority of israelis and their supporters. Anyone who has been there will immediately recognise it. They have perfected the art of moral outrage, the constant snivelling about their victimhood, and their unspoken assumptions that they alone have the right to murder, assassinate, destroy and genocide innocent people who happen to be born to the ‘wrong’ parents.
But when a minuscule percentage of the grief, the horror and the terror that they inflict on others is onflictd on them, with their bunkers for everyone, their vast military, their hospitals and free health services, their robbing of the American taxpayers to fund it all, they go apoplectic with rage and astonishment.
The level of their inability to see all human beings as equal in basic rights, as the UDHR inscribed after the war, in view of the death and destruction of WW2, is off any scale. They have been brainwashed since birth into a cult of supremacism and complete impunity, where nothing they do is ever followed by consequences, arrests, or arraignment in courts of law. They can happily go about their business, well fed, safe and mollycoddled, while a few miles away one of the worst holocausts since WW2 is taking place in their name, and by their sons, daughters and husbands. And, apart from the honourable minority, nothing touches them. Worse, they celebrate it and cheer a genocide on, as it was the hunger games.
It has got the point where Gideon Levy, who has been documenting the shameless evil of Israeli policy and actions for decades, is calling in Haaretz for the West to take aggressive action, sanctions and arrests against his own country’s leaders and colluders. What newspaper in the West will syndicate his journalism, and let their readers see the depths of depravity to which the country has sunk. It is hard to see any way Israel can recover any credibility, or good faith, or any semblance of integrity in decades to come. It is a busted flush, so beyond the point of restraint, or commonality with any, however feeble, standards of behaviour or moral responsibility.
No wonder Starmer, Lammy and the rest of them are running for cover, even as they attempt, utterly disgracefully, to tie the resources of this country to the mast of a genocidal state. There is no world in which the UK should not be sanctioning Israel and its ministers, speaking out, sending a joint flotilla to Gaza, and denouncing such evil. Even Thatcher and Blair, incredibly, did speak out against the tinpot fascists of Israel. This current mob have no scruples, no principles and are on the wrong side of history. Imagine a UK which stood up for human rights and actual international law. What a dream.
“The level of their inability to see all human beings as equal in basic rights, as the UDHR inscribed after the war, in view of the death and destruction of WW2, is off any scale”.
It makes better sense if you take into account the religious doctrine that Gentiles lack proper human souls and are (in the words of one rabbi) “lower than cattle”.
Israelis tend to treat Palestinians and other Gentiles with approximately as much solicitude as most humans bestow on their cattle. (Or perhaps their plants, in view of the routine references to “mowing the lawn”). Which make sense if you accept their ethical axioms.
Whether it is tolerable for one small segment of humanity to propose such axioms is a value question for the vast majority of our species to analyse. Bearing in mind that the “supermen” among us have seen fit to arm themselves with nuclear weapons (and other weapons of mass destruction) and have often spoken of the “Samson Option”, whereby if they go down they would take everyone else with them.
OTOH. Being unpleasantly realistic, who would Israel target in the event of a samson option ?
They have allegedly between 90 and 400 nuclear warheads. Whilst that would make an almighty mess, it wouldn’t take out anywhere near ‘everyone’.
Not underestimating the threat, just saying who would they take with them ?
Israel are systematically destroying all the ministry buildings in Iran, and notably, police headquarters, while covert operatives sow chaos and confusion with car bombs on the streets. This, while anti-regime activists promote the idea the regime has already fled. A strategy partly tried and tested in Syria, clearly aimed at undermining the regime’s grip and hoping people power does the rest.
It may even work? The regime is tired, old and unpopular. But Iranians need to be wary of westerners bearing gifts and remember the Russian experience of the old order collapsing suddenly; western-backed oligarchs buying up newly privatized state assets at knock-down prices making them and their backers fabulously rich, before clearing off with their ill-gotten loot. That’s likely a big part of the western elite’s real interest in Iran; namely, it’s potentially huge untapped wealth. A market of 90 million well-educated, middle-class people, could offer big new market opportunities.
I bet they’ve got Reza Pahlavi waiting in the wings. These people will have planned everything.
Can you imagine what he’s had to promise. Talk about compromised.
This is the Anglo-American 1953 coup redux. The CIA and MI6 as arrogant today as they were back then.
If it happens life may improve for Iranians?
But I don’t like the idea of the west imposing it with strings attached. And a handpicked leader who’ll owe his loyalty to those who put him there.
If the regime hasn’t foreseen all this, then they probably don’t deserve to survive. Iran was never going to be invaded, it was always going to be something like this.
The new Iran won’t be any friend of Russia or China either. Putin sees another ally fall, hot on the heels of Assad.
Reportedly Iran asked for Russian help and they declined, with Putin concerned about trying to maintain his good relations with Israel.
Or maybe he just recognises a dud when he sees one!
Those who enjoy such things might think about running a sweepstake on how many minutes Mr Pahlavi would survive after landing in Tehran.
I suppose, if it happens(?) it would depend on who is protecting him (likely western special forces, in balaclavas), and on Iranian public opinion. Look at al-Julani in Syria, or Ahmed al-Sharaa, as he’s now known, a Saudi born individual who has had his history scrubbed and his image polished up by the West in a massive PR campaign.
If the regime falls, anything is possible. Pahlavi’s biggest problem, besides being seen as a western puppet, would be true adherents to the Islamic revolution, who are a sizeable number. Iran simply doesn’t have a counter force for any de-Baathification type exercise. He’d have to reach some peaceful coexistence as regime supporters dominate the Mosques and Shia Islam is central to Iranian identity and will remain so.
All of this debate might well be academic as the Islamic Republic may not survive the coming week!
Craig quoted from the “UK explanation of vote”:
– “While the UK voted in favour of this resolution, we wish to clarify that our long-standing position remains that there is no legal obligation on states to ensure respect for international law by third parties.”
So Israel is being used. While the USA pays for all the weaponry, and the UK funnels it in through RAF Akrotiri, Westminster tries to arrange for Israel and its administration to carry all the guilt and all the punishment. Expendable, in the USA’s long game for Full Spectrum Dominance.
And they accuse protesters of anti-Semitism? Inversion of reality. Israel’s genocide of the Palestinians and wanton attacks on all and sundry will generate more anti-Semitism and anti-Semitic conspiracy theories than has ever been seen before.
I don’t know how you reach the conclusion that the Occupation regime is being used. Yes the “third party” means the Occupation, but Britain is saying there’s no legal obligation on Britain to ensure that the Occupation respects the law. They don’t make an exception for when international courts say the Occupation has broken it. (As in fact we already knew.)
From X:
“The US is soon going to directly join in on the mass bombing campaign of Iran. All the reports about “Israel requests” are bullshit propaganda. The decision has already been made. They are waiting for when they believe Iran’s retaliatory capacity has sufficiently been depleted. This was a US-Israeli war from the very start, planned, designed, armed, funded, given diplomatic cover by both. In fact, it was and is a Zionist US-NATO-Israeli war. The UK, France, Germany, all NATO and their Arab Shield puppet regimes like Jordan, Saudi Arabia, UAE are all directly involved.
Iran should have already, and should right now immediately, begin targeting all these assets in the region and inflict massive damage. The oil and gas infrastructure in the Gulf puppet regimes must be hit, the Strait of Hormuz must be closed, US bases and compounds and settlements must be hit. Immediately. Right now. Without delay, while Iran still has the military-state capacity to do it. If they don’t, they will all target them once it has been sufficiently depleted by the Israeli tip of the spear, which again is a direct extension of the US-NATO empire, every bomb, every jet, every missile, all the Mossad operatives have CIA and MI6 right alongside them, UK and French spy planes and ships give them intel, Saudi, UAE.
The talk of “oh, but then the US will have an excuse to attack us!” is exactly the kind of “strategic patience” type thinking that led to this war being launched against you. That decision has already been made, it was made when they launched the war and everyone knows it. Waiting until they have joined in on the bombing “directly”, which is itself an absurdity as they are already directly involved in every missile and bomb that lands on Iran and mass murders babies, children, women and men as Trump boasted about with glee, is already too late. By that point you no longer have sufficient retaliatory military capacity. This is just an excuse to not take the necessary action to save your nation and people.
Iran can use its Iraqi and Yemeni allies to take on the hits on the Arab Shield puppet regimes’ oil infrastructure, the Houthis are crying out for revenge from the genocide the Saudis and UAE inflicted on them.
Why did you build all these allies if you do not use them now, when you are in an existential war for the survival of your nation and people? They want total state collapse, they want tens of millions of lives destroyed, and then Yemen and Iraq and all the others will just be mop-op operations with millions more eliminated there, entire societies ended.
The only way to force the US-NATO-Israeli Zionist death-cult to back down now is by using all your state and military capacities and engaging in a total war. You have to make yourself appear totally irrational and fearless and without restraint, violate red lines that they did not even know existed and were possible to violate. Do everything immediately now or soon you will no longer be able to, and you will become yet another in the long line of “failed states”, of “tragedies” like Libya and Syria the Western media class salivates over when they report on yet another 100 killed in a car bombing, yet another 500 killed by some death-squad roaming around, yet another new death-cult definitely not funded by the CIA and Mossad and their Gulf proxies posting beheading videos online and eating the hearts of people on the streets of Tehran, Sanaa and Baghdad.
The survival of tens of millions across the entire region depends on it.”
The US moved the B-2 bombers to Diego Garcia for a reason, so that seems likely correct.
Everyone expects the US will bomb Fordow – the enrichment plant under a mountain – using Massive Ordnance Penetrator – the world’s largest bomb, that only the US possess, at what they deem to be the right moment. If the regime falls, the US and Israel will be bombing and destroying military facilities for weeks, as Israel has done in Syria, long after Assad’s fall. They won’t want anyone ever having military capability again in Iran. Iran will truly be a paper tiger.
Then the whole western circus will move on to forcing Pakistan to decommission their nuclear weapons.
Goose
What will happen – is just like Imran Khan’s removal for not playing ball, the West will remove anyone in government via a corrupt Pakistan military who isn’t pro-Israeli – Pakistan is one of the most corrupt countries on the planet.
The UK holds lots of sway there, since most of the Pakistani political elite were educated at UK universities and have ties to the UK. They typically speak perfect English.
Real disconnect between the political class and the public though; they are clearly having to heavily rig elections to limit simmering public discontent.
Speaking of which, did you see el Sisi’s goons violently beating the Gaza activists at the border?
Every Muslim country the west interferes in, has to violently put down protests and discontent among its own citizens. Doesn’t that tell western leaders something? They are funding the oppression of hundreds of millions, for the sake of nine-million Israelis.
Launching such attacks from Diego Garcia would be tactically and strategically foolish. The atoll is a well-nigh perfect target for modern missiles, which can be launched by submarines.
Yes, and the old tech B2 bombers take off and flight would be easily visible by latest iranian radar and satellites. Flight time from chagos to Tehran by B2 is approx. 6hrs.
Goose.
I think the US possesses deep bunker busting bombs – and that’s one of the reasons the Zionists want to rope in the US in the unjust attack on Iran.
Of course the nuclear threat – is just a ruse to attack Iran, as it was to attack Iraq.
“US intelligence assessed just weeks ago that Iran is not building a nuclear weapon
“The IC [Intelligence Community] continues to assess that Iran is not building a nuclear weapon and Supreme Leader Khamanei has not authorized the nuclear weapons program he suspended in 2003.
The IC is monitoring if Tehran decides to reauthorize its nuclear weapons program.” – Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard, 25 March 2025”
https://nitter.poast.org/wikileaks/status/1933844614105997336#m
@Goose –
In that scenario, what do they replace the “Netanyahu doctrine” with? (Summarisable as “US plus bumsniffers must support Israel to the hilt because Iran is such a big danger for them all.”)
They won’t want to hear “OK, you’ve smashed Iran now. You don’t need us any more.”
There is an answer to this. It’s not that the Netanyahu doctrine is replaced with another “doctrine” of similar scope, discussable in similar terms at Chatham House and RUSI. It can be replaced with deeper changes – for which it has paved the way – including what Efraim Halevy in 2005 called “profound cultural change”. This has also been called “ruling openly”, and could well go together with large-scale population reduction worldwide.
Agreed.
Apropos NATO, its arrangements with Jordan are obvious preparation for war on at least a regional scale:
https://www.nato.int/cps/en/natohq/news_236204.htm
These youtube channels present information about the situation that western media doesn’t cover. These channels are in spanish, but youtube’s translation can be used.
https://www.youtube.com/@MiguelRuizCalvo/streams
https://www.youtube.com/@RubenGisbert
https://www.youtube.com/@lamagiadelabolsa
I am glad that Mr Murray has finally seen the light.
“I say unto you, that likewise joy shall be in heaven over one sinner that repenteth, more than over ninety and nine just persons, which need no repentance”.
– Luke 15:7 (King James Bible)
Not to mention a person of such intelligence and experience as Mr Murray.
Western governments’ cynical disregard of international law is nothing new. For example, in NATO’s destruction of Libya (2011 “intervention” in Libya), irrigation systems were deliberately targeted, in direct violation of Article 54.2 (see above).
O’ the Persians,
Xerxes, Cyrus, Darius.
Taking on the scum of Old Europe,
Whose backward protege,
Advanced beyond all bounds of dignity and honour,
Till checked by you and Ansar Allah.
I salute thee !
Leonidas is long gone, the craven Greeks
Gladly received the stalking horse of Zion,
While their bosom cousins, the treacherous Turks,
Keep their Master’s wishes on their radar.
O rise, rise up in shame,
The Godess now in chains on Aphrodite’s isle, enslaved,
Forced to take on all-comers; for shekels, sterling, dollars.
An orphan of two fathers.
Hear their voices, hear their voices,
The Gazan choirs and choruses of Justice,
Call on the Erinyes, daughters, who abhor
The wanton slaughter of children and their mothers,
By cowards dressed as soldiers.
Fulfil your promises, fulfil your promises, I pray;
As poets weave their tapestries of song,
For their display, in the banquet hall of heroes,
Are your names, refulgent in the halo of your fame,
As darkness drapes the tyrants’ names in shame.
Hafez and Heine, lend me your voices
Hear this hurt refrain,
Mock the Policeman’s corrupt ambition,
And bring comfort to the Widow and the Orphan.
I thought the weasels told us it was ” a rules-based international order”
Never had any sympathy for Tel Aviv ever
According to the British regime’s foreign ministry:
“Common Article 1 of the Geneva Conventions [which states that “The High Contracting Parties undertake to respect and to ensure respect for the present Convention in all circumstances”] does not impose a legal obligation on states to ensure respect for international law by third parties.”
Does this hinge on the interpretation of “undertake”? Seriously?!
Starmer the lawyer is a complete joke. His appointment as DPP must have been for other reasons than his legal skills. Cf. his predecessor Barbara Mills and the crime family she was in.
(Mods – apols for double post – please delete first one)
The British regime’s position is that
“Common Article 1 of the Geneva Conventions [which states that ‘The High Contracting Parties undertake to respect and to ensure respect for the present Convention in all circumstances’] does not impose a legal obligation on states to ensure respect for international law by third parties.”
Does this hinge on the interpretation of “undertake”? Seriously?!
Whatever caused Starmer to be appointed DPP wasn’t his legal skill, any more than it was for his predecessor the crime family member Barbara Mills.
Lammy we know is an idiot. He thinks
* Marie and Pierre who won the Nobel prize for research into radiation had the surname “Antoinette”
* Versailles was a fortress later used as a prison
* Eduard Shevardnadze was president of Yugoslavia
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DsR4Nx-ELgc
Netanyahu has fled to Greece, as Iron Dome fails?
https://skwawkbox.org/2025/06/15/video-new-iranian-barrages-hit-israel-as-proof-leaks-of-mass-iron-dome-failure-and-netanyahu-hides/
Maybe this post should be renamed:
“Starmer and Lammy and Netanyahu are Terrified”.