{"id":39221,"date":"2026-03-19T09:17:30","date_gmt":"2026-03-19T08:17:30","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/english.cpnn-world.org\/?p=39221"},"modified":"2026-03-19T09:18:17","modified_gmt":"2026-03-19T08:18:17","slug":"war-in-iran-elders-call-for-consistency-in-defence-of-the-international-rule-of-law","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/english.cpnn-world.org\/?p=39221","title":{"rendered":"War in Iran: Elders call for consistency in defence of the international rule of law"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n

FREE FLOW OF INFORMATION .<\/p>\n

An article from The Elders<\/a><\/p>\n

The Elders warn today that countries will be drawn into an illegal war if they acquiesce to continuing US demands around the Iran crisis, such as to assist in securing the Strait of Hormuz for shipping. We urge countries to stand up collectively, resist pressure, and make it clear that those who initiated this war are responsible for its consequences and for ending it quickly.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>
\nThe Original Elders in 2010<\/center><\/p>\n

International law should not be invoked selectively. Many Western leaders rightly insisted that Russia\u2019s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022 demanded an unequivocal response. They were swift to criticise states who put their economic interests above principle.<\/p>\n

Yet many of the same leaders now hesitate to call out unlawful military action by the USA and Israel. This hypocrisy is not lost on audiences in the Middle East or across the Global South. It is eroding trust in international institutions, and feeding the perception that Western countries invoke rules only when politically convenient.<\/p>\n

The recent UN Security Council resolution condemning Iranian attacks on neighbouring states, while omitting any reference to the initial US-Israeli strikes, illustrates this troubling selectivity. When the Council applies the law unevenly, it undermines its own authority.<\/p>\n

The ongoing US and Israeli aggression against Iran and Iran\u2019s retaliatory strikes across the Gulf and Eastern Mediterranean threaten grave consequences for regional security and the global economy.<\/p>\n

Military action will deliver neither peace, justice, nor the respect for human rights Iranians deserve following longstanding, systematic violations and the recent bloody repression of peaceful protesters by the regime.<\/p>\n

The lack of a coherent US strategy raises the prospect of instability within Iran comparable to that following the 2003 US-led invasion of Iraq. This danger is further increased by uncertainty over the location and status of Iran\u2019s stockpiles of highly enriched uranium.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

Question related to this article:<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
\n<\/p>\n

Where in the world can we find good leadership today?<\/a><\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

(article continued from left column)<\/p>\n

There is no military solution to nuclear proliferation. When nuclear-armed states strike a non-nuclear state during negotiations, the message is unmistakable: that possessing nuclear weapons could provide protection. The most likely consequence of the illegal war launched on Iran is not greater security, but rather further incentives for nuclear proliferation.<\/p>\n

Leaders who say they believe in international law must stick to their principles, and put long-term stability above short-term considerations.<\/p>\n

The Elders<\/strong><\/p>\n

Juan Manuel Santos<\/strong>, former President of Colombia, Nobel Peace Laureate and Chair of The Elders\u00a0<\/p>\n

Gra\u00e7a Machel<\/strong>, Founder of the Gra\u00e7a Machel Trust, Co-founder and Deputy Chair of The Elders\u202f\u00a0<\/p>\n

Gro Harlem Brundtland<\/strong>, former Prime Minister of Norway and former Director-General of the WHO\u00a0<\/p>\n

Helen Clark<\/strong>, former Prime Minister of New Zealand and former head of the UN Development Programme\u00a0<\/p>\n

Elbegdorj Tsakhia<\/strong>, former President and Prime Minister of Mongolia\u00a0<\/p>\n

Zeid Ra’ad Al Hussein<\/strong>, former UN High Commissioner for Human Rights\u00a0<\/p>\n

Hina Jilani<\/strong>, Advocate of the Supreme Court of Pakistan and co-chair of the Taskforce on Justice\u00a0<\/p>\n

Ellen Johnson Sirleaf<\/strong>, former President of Liberia and Nobel Peace Laureate\u00a0<\/p>\n

Denis Mukwege<\/strong>, physician and human rights advocate, Nobel Peace Laureate\u00a0<\/p>\n

Mary Robinson<\/strong>, former President of Ireland and former UN High Commissioner for Human Rights\u00a0<\/p>\n

Ernesto Zedillo<\/strong>, former President of Mexico\u00a0<\/p>\n

– – – – – –<\/p>\n

If you wish to make a comment on this article, you may write to coordinator@cpnn-world.org with the title “Comment on (name of article)” and we will put your comment on line. Because of the flood of spam, we have discontinued the direct application of comments.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

FREE FLOW OF INFORMATION . An article from The Elders The Elders warn today that countries will be drawn into an illegal war if they acquiesce to continuing US demands around the Iran crisis, such as to assist in securing the Strait of Hormuz for shipping. We urge countries to stand up collectively, resist pressure, … Continue reading War in Iran: Elders call for consistency in defence of the international rule of law<\/span> →<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[15,76],"tags":[11],"class_list":["post-39221","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-information","category-global","tag-global"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/english.cpnn-world.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/39221","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/english.cpnn-world.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/english.cpnn-world.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/english.cpnn-world.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/english.cpnn-world.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=39221"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/english.cpnn-world.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/39221\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":39224,"href":"https:\/\/english.cpnn-world.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/39221\/revisions\/39224"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/english.cpnn-world.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=39221"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/english.cpnn-world.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=39221"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/english.cpnn-world.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=39221"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}