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\u201cThis is an illegal war in violation of the UN Charter.\u201d <\/p>\n
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Jane Kinninmont \u2013 <\/strong><\/p>\n CEO of UNA-UK<\/p>\n
Jane speaking on Sky News on 3 March<\/p>\n Jane was featured on BBC1\u2019s Breakfast news programme on the morning that the war began, stating clearly that the attacks were illegal and in violation of the UN Charter. She has since appeared on Sky News, Times Radio, LBC Radio, Bloomberg TV, Bloomberg Radio, the BBC World Service, BBC Five Live, and around the nations of the UK, BBC Radio Scotland, Scottish Television, BBC Radio Ulster, and BBC Radio Wales, as well as Turkey\u2019s TRT, India\u2019s World Is One and the Times of India, the world\u2019s largest-circulation English-language daily newspaper.\u00a0<\/p>\n Here\u00a0are some\u00a0further\u00a0highlights\u00a0of\u00a0UNA-UK\u2019s\u00a0media appearances:\u00a0<\/p>\n 8 April |\u00a0LBC News\u00a0<\/p>\n On the violations of international law:\u00a0<\/p>\n
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<\/p>\n We’re seeing this really worrying erosion of what’s called international humanitarian law, which is the law that governs what are acceptable targets in wartime. We’ve seen very quickly all sides resort to bombing energy, industry, even water facilities.<\/p>\n
On whether the conflict will achieve long-term stability and peace with a weakened Iran:\u00a0<\/p>\n
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<\/p>\n From what has emerged so far, it’s not at all clear that Iran has been weakened…they’ve been able to replace [leaders] and generally to replace them with younger, more hardline people who may well be very vengeful. So, the kind of problems with the Iranian political system haven’t gone away. <\/p>\n
On human rights in Iran:\u00a0<\/p>\n
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<\/p>\n Not many people are talking right now about human rights in Iran, although this was a big focus at the outset of the war. It would be good to see some of the mediators actually add into the various lists of demands and priorities, what about political prisoners in Iran? Could there be a moratorium in the execution of protesters?…Maybe the Iranian political leaders are not going to agree to those things, but it is striking that right now it doesn’t even seem like the rest of the world is asking for them.<\/p>\n
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<\/p>\n We at the UN Association have opposed this war from the outset. We think it was illegal, ill-conceived, and was the wrong route to go down when diplomatic pathways still existed.<\/p>\n
On\u00a0the Strait of Hormuz and\u00a0the long-term implications of the conflict on the global economy:\u00a0<\/p>\n
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<\/p>\n [Iran’s leaders] have got ambitions now to try to leverage their ability to disrupt shipping through the Strait of Hormuz… So there’s now a whole new objective that didn’t even exist before the start of this war. <\/p>\n This is exactly the sort of thing that is worrying Gulf countries and European partners, that there might be ongoing costs that come from this war and that continue to weigh on shipping and energy, and that the US will basically say, well, it’s the world’s problem and not specifically America’s problem.<\/p>\n
\u00a0<\/p>\n Listen to the full interview here.<\/a><\/p>\n
In\u00a0the case of\u00a0both\u00a0US-Israel\u00a0attacks on Iranian nuclear sites\u00a0in June\u00a0last year, and the attacks launched in February 2026, diplomatic negotiations over Iran\u2019s nuclear programme\u00a0were\u00a0in progress, and\u00a0experts have suggested<\/a> a deal was within reach. Jane spoke about the damage done to the prospects of a successful ceasefire agreement by the US and Israel\u2019s illegal attacks on Iran:\u00a0<\/p>\n
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<\/p>\n Part of the problem, of course, is that Iran was already attacked by the US and Israel last year in the so-called 12 day war. And so there is a view in Iran that if they have a ceasefire in the near future, that will only be temporary, and the US and Israel could potentially come back, for example, after the midterms.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n Watch the full interview here from 1:18:40 <\/p>\n
On the UN\u2019s role and the impact on the global humanitarian landscape:\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n
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<\/p>\n The UN has also appointed an envoy who’s trying to work diplomatic routes and focus particularly on food security…food prices are going to be rocketing around the world and that has a huge impact on the hungriest people in the world and the ability of stretched aid budgets to feed people facing famine.<\/p>\n
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On Europe\u2019s approach to the conflict:\u00a0<\/p>\n
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<\/p>\n One of the reasons [Europe] has been sidelined…is also about Europe\u2019s own failure to have a coherent foreign policy line when it comes to the Middle East.<\/p>\n We’ve seen contradictory messages coming out of the top officials of the European Commission and the European External Action Service over whether Europe should still stand up for international law. For some Europeans, that is central to their identity and to what they want to offer the rest of the world. And to others, it’s an old thing that should be chucked out.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n Watch the interview here from 10:08 <\/p>\n
Jane also featured in ELN\u2019s Network Reflections<\/a> on what role European governments\u00a0should be playing as the conflict widens:\u00a0<\/p>\n
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<\/p>\n It would be good to see Switzerland, Norway, Ireland, and Spain working closely together as the\u00a0countries\u00a0most willing to stand up for international law.<\/p>\n
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\n 8 April | BBC Radio Scotland,\u00a0Lunchtime Live\u00a0
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\n 7 April | Bloomberg Television,\u00a0The Opening Trade\u00a0<\/p>\n
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\n 4 April | BBC World Service, Weekend<\/p>\n
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\n 3 March | European Leadership Network, Network Reflections\u00a0<\/p>\n
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