Yesterdays´news – Page 2 – IPB – International Peace Bureau

METO Statement on US-Israel Military Strikes on Iran

Date: 28 February 2026

Today’s attack, conducted by U.S. President Donald Trump, alongside Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, against Iran marks a dangerous turning point for the Middle East and for the international order itself.

This is not merely another episode of regional confrontation. It is a direct blow to the fragile architecture of international law. The use of force outside the framework of the United Nations Charter erodes the very rules designed to prevent war and human destruction.

IPB Condemns US and Israeli Attacks on Iran Calls for an Immediate Return to Negotiations

28 February 2026

The International Peace Bureau (IPB) strongly condemns the US and Israeli attacks on Iran and the reported plans for a “multi-day operation”. The strikes on Iran, which are reportedly aimed at regime change through the decapitation of the political elite of the country – including attacks on military compounds and ministries – constitute a grave violation of international law and are reminiscent of the US’ disastrous war two decades ago in Iraq. We remain deeply concerned with the escalation of the crisis as Iran retaliates and more US and Israeli military actions are pending.

‘You cannot tax poverty, you cannot extort the desperate.’

The Pamoja kwa Amani Coalition expresses its profound indignation and deep concern over the escalating economic oppression imposed on civilian populations by the AFC-M23 rebel movement in the areas under its de facto administration.

Since the start of the aggression, the cities of Bukavu and Goma, along with their surrounding areas, have experienced a complete breakdown of their economies:

Four years later – Ukraine: Europe trapped in the logic of rearmament

We have therefore reached the point of celebrating the transition from the fourth to the fifth year of war in Ukraine, with the weariness of a ritual that hides a tragedy, the war, which sees no end, and which should have been avoided. Four years that have changed Europe, exposing the weaknesses, and limitations of a Union of states still tied to a nation-state vision when the challenges of the 21st century are global: the environment, demographics, rights, security. The limitations of supranational organisations and authorities have their roots in that nineteenth-century vision that fits well with the constant need to identify an enemy, invoke national security to justify the arms race, the inevitability of war, and, in the meantime, reduce freedoms, rights, and repress protest.

Ukraine needs peace! Stop the bloodshed!

The war in Ukraine is entering its fifth year. Since Russia invaded the country in violation of international law, death and destruction have reigned. NATO’s confrontational policies and its long-standing refusal to seek a lasting and peaceful solution through diplomatic channels have contributed to the loss of so many lives.

Do the US’s 12 military bases in Norway pose a security risk to us?

The negotiations on the so-called “Agreed Facilities and Areas (AFA)” began, at the US initiative in 2018 under President Trump and Prime Minister Erna Solberg and led to 4 military bases in 2021. They were followed up by President Biden and Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre, and in 2024 the US received an additional 8 military bases in Norway. It was not as it is portrayed afterwards that Norwegian politicians wanted permanent US bases in Norway, as a protection against Russia. The background was a pronounced American request to have US military forces in allied countries and secure American “security inetersts”, not Norwegian ones. This is the same argument used for the US annexation of Greenland. In addition to the 12 military bases in Norway, the US has, over the past 5 years, entered into similar agreements for 35 military bases in Denmark, Sweden and Finland, so the US (not NATO) now has 47 military bases in the Nordic countries. Ten years ago, there were no such bases in the Nordic countries. If we include the Baltics, the number is 65.

There are two big and important questions that need to be asked: Are these military bases? Do they ensure Norwegian security or do they pose a security risk to Norway?

Communiqué by the OPANAL Member States on the occasion of the 59th Anniversary of the Treaty of Tlatelolco

14 February 2026

The 33 Member States of the Agency for the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons in Latin America and the Caribbean (OPANAL):

1. Commemorate this day the 59th Anniversary of the adoption and opening for signature of the Treaty for the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons in Latin America and the Caribbean (Treaty of Tlatelolco), which established the first Nuclear-Weapon-Free Zone in a densely populated area, has served as a source of inspiration for four other regions in the world and Mongolia.

2. Reiterate their deep concern over the threat to the survival of humankind posed by the existence of about 12,241 nuclear weapons1, as well as the catastrophic humanitarian impact and consequences of their use or any intentional or accidental detonation.

Joint Statement: 66 Years Since the First French Nuclear Explosion in Algeria

No Truth Without Transparency, No Justice Without Reparation

We, the undersigned organizations representing affected communities, Indigenous peoples, and advocates for the prohibition of nuclear weapons, environmental protection, human rights, and the promotion of peace, come together to commemorate the sixty-sixth anniversary of the first nuclear explosion carried out by France in the Algerian desert on 13 February 1960. On that day, France detonated its first nuclear bomb in Reggane under the name “Gerboise Bleue,” committing a historic wrongdoing that opened a dark chapter of human and environmental harm whose effects persist to this day.

Declaración: Alto a las amenazas y bloqueo a Cuba. Es mejor la Solidaridad

Queremos expresar nuestra más profunda solidaridad con el pueblo de Cuba, frente a las recientes agresiones políticas, económicas y diplomáticas de las que es objeto por parte del gobierno de los Estados Unidos. Estas acciones no son hechos aislados, sino parte de una política histórica de hostigamiento e injerencia que busca someter la soberanía de un país que ha decidido transitar un camino propio.

Sean Conner: “Venezuela represents a change in the tactics of war with immeasurable consequences”

02.02.26- Santiago, Chile – Pablo Ruiz Espinoza in Pressenza International

The attack on Venezuela by the United States and a series of threats, the application of sanctions and punishments, through blockades or the raising of tariffs, against Mexico, Cuba, Colombia, Iran, Canada, Greenland, among others, represent a clear threat to International Law, returning to the law of the strongest.

On the other hand, militarization continues in Europe, and four years will have passed since the start of the war in Ukraine, where efforts continue to perpetuate this conflict by sending more weapons and militarizing Europe itself.

On these topics, the following is an interview with Sean Conner, Executive Director of the International Peace Bureau (IPB). Conner holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Intercultural and Critical Communication Studies from the State University of New York at Geneseo and a Master of Arts degree in Intercultural Conflict Management.