UNFOLD ZERO Newsletter: US-Israel attacks on Iran are illegal. Plus invitation to 'From nuclear sharing to a European NWFZ'
Posted: 1st March 2026
US-Israel attacks against Iran are illegal and unjustifiable
plus an invitation to
From nuclear sharing (Belarus and NATO host countries)
to a European nuclear-weapon-free zone
Thursday March 5. 5pm CET. Online
Dear Peter Gloyns,The joint US-Israel military attacks on Iran that were launched on Friday are illegal under international law, and are an unjustifiable approach to addressing concerns relating to civil rights violations and Iran’s military developments.
The US has alleged that Iran had restarted its nuclear program, had enough available nuclear material to build a bomb within days and was developing long-range missiles that could soon be capable of hitting the United States. The New York Times has reported that all three of these claims are false. (See also Illegal U.S.-Israel Attacks Not Justifiable on Nonproliferation Grounds, Arms Control Association).
However, even if the allegations were true, this would not provide legal or political justification to launch military attacks against Iran. The UN Charter prohibits the threat or use of force in international relations, except in self defense in response to a military attack, and requires Member States to resolve their disputes through peaceful means.
Iran has been participating in negotiations with the United States on issues regarding their missiles and nuclear energy facilities, the most recent session of which was just two days prior to the US-Israel attack on Iran. This indicates that a negotiated solution was still possible. And even if such negotiations ultimately failed, the UN Charter provides many other approaches and mechanisms to address disputes peacefully.
In addition, Iran supports, and has been participating in, the ongoing UN Conference on establishing a Middle-East Zone free from Nuclear Weapons and other Weapons of Mass Destruction. Israel and the United States, on the other hand, do not support the UN conference. The reason for their opposition is that the adoption of a Middle East NWFZ agreement would mean that all states in the region, including Israel, would be prohibited from possessing nuclear weapons and other WMD.
Reversing nuclearization:
From nuclear weapons in Belarus and NATO host countries to a European-Nuclear-Weapon Free Zone
Online: Thursday March 511am-12:30pm Eastern Time USA / 5pm-6:30pm CET
Commemorating the anniversaries of the 1954 Bravo nuclear test (Nuclear Victims Remembrance Day) and of Belarus’s 2022 decision to rescind its nuclear-weapon-free status.
Event outline:
The risks of a nuclear war by accident, miscalculation or intent have increased with various escalatory actions, including the US-Israel attack on Iran, deployment by Russia of nuclear weapons to Belarus, announcement by the U.S. President of a possible resumption of nuclear testing, expiration of the New START agreement and various provocative statements regarding possible use of nuclear weapons in current conflicts including in the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
The Human Rights Committee affirmed in October 2018 that the threat or use of nuclear weapons is “incompatible with respect for the right to life” (under the UN Convention on Civil and Political Rights) and “may amount to a crime under international law”, and that “all States must refrain from developing, producing, testing, acquiring, stockpiling, selling, transferring and using nuclear weapons.”
This has opened the door to raising the issue of human rights and nuclear weapons policies of specific countries in the Human Rights Council. A number of submissions to the Council on this issue have proposed the establishment of regional nuclear-weapon free zones in the Arctic, Europe and North-East Asia as common security approaches to the issue. These include a submission on Belarus’ nuclear policies.
March 1 is the anniversary of the Bravo Test – the most destructive nuclear weapons test ever conducted by the United States (in 1954). February 27 is the anniversary of the date in 2022 that the Belarus government changed the constitution of Belarus, rescinding its status as a nuclear-weapon-free country.
The March 5 event marks these two days, and revives the proposal originally made by Belarus in 1990 for the establishment of a European Nuclear-Weapon-Free Zone. This was similar to other proposals for a European NWFZ (see A Nuclear Weapon-Free Zone in Europe Concept – Problems – Chances).
Moderators and Speakers:
Register for the March 5 online eventYours sincerelyUNFOLD ZERO