Hell of a chart, this, from @financialtimes.com. Spot the JCPOA. on.ft.com/4kSuQYO

Hard to think of any better way to demonstrate contempt for multilateralism, while setting the Middle East on fire. is.gd/bSl7zr

Thinking more on this, the threat of 'defensive measures' is quite far reaching but also not easy for Germany. Anything of substance would require a parliamentary approval which could be quite tricky since literally Trump started this war.

Second E3 declaration on Iran. This goes much further, with France, Germany and the UK signalling willingness for 'defensive action' against Iran if its attacks on allies in the region persist. Macron, Merz and Starmer also say they will work with the US and allies in the region.

BREAKING: Keir Starmer says the U.K. has given the US permission to use British bases to launch strikes on Iran

This is not about "lecturing our partners on their military strikes against Iran" but stating clearly when violations of the UN Charta happen. Double-speak will further hurt Europe's credibility multilaterally and reduce its global influence. Surely, that cannot be in our interest.

Very good piece by Ellie Geranmayeh @ecfr.eu on how Europeans should react to US and Israeli attacks on Iran: ecfr.eu?p=151210

Bored of Peace

In case you did not know: The killing of Ayatollah Khamenei was illegal under international law. The prohibition of assassinating "anyone who is in the power of an adverse party" is a longstanding, established cornerstone of customary international law. is.gd/5CDTaz

UN Security Council Falls Short of Fully Condemning US-Israeli Attack on Iran passblue.com/2026/02/28/u...

So the German government believes that the Israeli and US attacks are legal, @aussenminister.diplo.de ? Rules-based order anybody?

Dies ist der zweite US-Angriff auf Iran während Verhandlungen über das Atom-und Raketenprogramm geführt wurden.

Arms Control Association statement on the attacks on Iran. (I'm on their Board of Directors, used to work there long ago.) www.armscontrol.org/pressroom/20...

According to the German gov spokesman Kornelius, the German government was only informed this morning about the US intent to attack Iran.

And the EU's position on the legality of the US and Israeli attacks is ... what? How does this sit with Europe promoting a rule-based internationational order, @kajakallas.bsky.social ?

The amount of shit going down on this planet right now because of Donald Trump is truly unfathomable.

It is just a half sentence, but I still find it strangely infuriating that Trump is using the argument that Iran could threaten 'our good allies in Europe' as part of the reasoning for this war he started.

This is mobster diplomacy "Nice health care you got there. Shame if something happened to it. We'll take all your highly confidential data and critical minerals, and maybe not all of your people will die of HIV" www.theguardian.com/global-devel...

Zimbabwe is the first country to publicly refuse the one-sided US health deals being pushed on Africa Zim objected to US demands for sovereign health data, exclusive access to critical minerals, and attempts to undermine multilateralism www.zimlive.com/zimbabwe-rej...

Because, you know, Donald Trump is so totally relaxed when it comes to lèse-majesté. 😂

Unless Russia shows "there are populations of naturally occurring Amazonian poison frogs who eat fauna identical to that of a Peruvian rainforest living inside a prison complex within Siberian penal colony where Navalny died, there can be no argument to support an innocent exposure." is.gd/mb0J0o

Continuing our commentary series ahead of the NPT RevCon, Ciarán Doyle reflects on the importance Ireland places on the Treaty and calls for a commitment to enhanced transparency and accountability from the nuclear weapon states. europeanleadershipnetwork.org/commentary/e...

While waiting for Europeans to speak up against the impending illegal, catastrophic US attack against Iran, re-reading then-German FM Fischer's 2003 "I am not convinced" @munsecconf.bsky.social speech: "Will there be universally binding rules? Will these rules be consulted?" is.gd/bO4Llh

Military build ups generate their own momentum. They reach a point where the forces have to be used or pulled out. That was a factor in the timing of Bush’s 2003 assault on Iraq. Trump has now got himself in a position where he needs a wider deal than Iran seems likely to offer. 1/5

"In einer Stadt zu spielen, in der Menschen erschossen werden, passt nicht zu unseren Werten" @werderbremen storniert US trip Mai 2026 Boykott WM 2026 in USA

📄 Our latest Issue Brief "Preserving the Moratorium on Explosive Nuclear Weapons Testing" by Lynn Rusten examines the current challenges and outlines how this critical norm can be upheld. 🔗 Read here: deepcuts.org/publications...

📢 New Issue Brief from the DeepCuts Commission 👉 One of the major non-proliferation achievements of the past 30 years has been the global moratorium on nuclear explosive testing. Rising tensions and renewed testing threats now put this norm and the CTBT’s legacy under serious pressure.

Sad: "European ministers avoided overt support for climate initiatives, instead focusing on the energy security benefits of renewables. It was a direct response to threats from the U.S., which had earlier in the week warned it would quit the body if it didn’t drop its “climate advocacy”."

Good to see that travel expenses of European officials "observing" this event are well spent.

Very happy we at @theeln.bsky.social could publish this first Commentary on P5 perspectives on #NPTRevCon by Emmanuelle Maitre. 👇‼️ For more views on how the crucial 27 April - 22 May meeting can help in "Protecting the NPT" see project website at europeanleadershipnetwork.org?p=19759

In collaboration with @thebulletin.org, ELN Senior Network member Angela Kane and YGLN member and Researcher @ifri.bsky.social, @hfayet.bsky.social, have written on the end of New START and the urgent need for Europe to advance its own arms control agenda. thebulletin.org/2026/02/what...

On 4th February, the New START Treaty, the last treaty constraining the nuclear weapons of the United States and Russia, expired. The situation appears bleak, but Edward Ifft argues that nuclear weapons states can still act to reinforce global stability. europeanleadershipnetwork.org/commentary/l...

Russia’s full-scale invasion began 4 years ago. It began in winter, and so this winter is the 5th. And, for civilians, the worst. Russia launches missiles and drones at energy infrastructure to force Ukrainians to endure the freezing cold. Here's how you can help snyder.substack.com/p/the-long-u...

I assume this is not a completely new insight 🤦‍♂️: “The French need, in the next generation of fighter jets, an aircraft capable of carrying nuclear weapons and operating from an aircraft carrier. That’s not what we currently need in the German military,” Merz said. www.euractiv.com?p=2365215

🚨 JUST IN: For Angela Kane and Héloïse Fayet (@hfayet.bsky.social), Europe needs not to misunderstand what the end of New START means and must advance its own arms control agenda. thebulletin.org/2026/02/what... #NewSTART #Europe #nuclearweapons #armscontrol #nukesky

On Tuesday 24 Feb VERTIC & @rusi.bsky.social will launch Dr John Walker's book 'Britain & Weapons of Mass Destruction Verification'. He will be joined by fellow experts in arms control & international security to discuss the book’s insider account of CBRN weapons verification: tinyurl.com/yw2p2dmn

This analysis is very much worth your time. Not everything is doom and gloom: is.gd/axtVK4

"The sanctions against Guillou — which bar him from using payment systems such as Visa and Mastercard, as well as services including Amazon, Airbnb and Booking.com — amount to “a kind of civil death” and are being weaponized to undermine the foundations of European democracies, he said."

Swiss becomes first woman to head chemical weapons body www.swissinfo.ch/eng/foreign-...

"The UK has informed the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons of Russia’s blatant breach of the Chemical Weapons Convention. Alongside partners the UK will continue to hold Russia to account for its actions."

Conference chair Wolfgang Ischinger starts with a question to the five permanent members of the UN Security Council: "Are you 5 fully aware of your obligations under Article 6 of the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty?" #MSC2026

The EASLG has issued another statement, in advance of #MSC2026, supporting space security and stability amid the increased dependence of critical military functions on space-based infrastructure, and the risk of increased militarisation of this domain. europeanleadershipnetwork.org/group-statem...

In a group statement, with @apln.network & @nti.org, the Euro-Atlantic Security Leadership Group (EASLG) calls for strengthened fail-safe measures to prevent accidental nuclear use, signed by serving & fmr senior officials, military leaders, & experts. europeanleadershipnetwork.org/group-statem...

In a new study testing six leading AI models, YGLNmember Ihor Samokhodskyi found that the language in which users ask AI chatbots questions about Russia’s war in Ukraine affects the likelihood that answers contain disinformation or propaganda. europeanleadershipnetwork.org/commentary/t...

Trump posts a picture showing Canada and Greenland as part of the US. As I note today, his rhetoric violates the U.N. Charter: It requires members to “refrain … from the threat or use of force against the territorial integrity or political independence of any state.” wapo.st/3MsWi3c

Russia's attacks on Ukraine's power grid and the substations that serve its #nuclear plants have got to stop. The situation is very unstable. www.pravda.com.ua/eng/news/202...

"There is consensus among European countries that #NewSTART has worked in Europe’s favor. Russia’s war in Ukraine has deepened most European leaders’ preference to see continued commitment by US and Russia to limit nuclear deployments rather than no agreement, I told @cfr.org here: is.gd/4Pf9WL

Another bit of good news, US EUCOM says US and Russia agreed to reestablish high-level military-to-military dialogue (it seems Grynkewich and Gerasimov) www.eucom.mil/pressrelease...

In May, States Parties to the NPT will meet for the 11th Review Conference under difficult circumstances. While European support for & leadership in the NPT is more urgent than ever, it could be complicated by diverging priorities among European states. europeanleadershipnetwork.org/commentary/e...

Great news, if true. Europeans should enthusiastically endorse such a step. h/t @tobiaspfella.bsky.social Scoop: U.S. and Russia agree to observe New START nuclear pact after expiration www.axios.com/2026/02/05/n...