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Dirty dossier exposes Britain’s involvement in Iran war as illegal
https://morningstaronline.co.uk/article/dossier-burnham-starmer-iran-war-illegal
The Prime Minister and Keir Starmer need to come clean about whether they have put UK citizens at risk by participating in Trump and Netanyahu’s illegal war against Iran
Britain’s role in the Iran war has been branded potentially unlawful by legal experts, fuelling demands for ministers to reveal what evidence justified allowing US forces to use UK bases
BRITAIN’S involvement in the Iran war is unlawful, legal experts have said, raising concerns that a new “dodgy dossier” compelled Sir Keir Starmer into the disastrous Middle East conflict.
A legal opinion by law firm Leigh Day concluded that there were serious grounds to question whether Britain is facilitating unlawful military action.
In March, the US and Israel attacked Iran without telling their allies, sending global fuel prices soaring — with no end to the war in sight.
Then-PM Sir Keir was criticised by US President Donald Trump after refusing his demands to allow the US to use British bases for the initial wave of attacks.
A day later, the Labour leader said that he had been moved to allow the “limited” use of British military bases for so-called defensive operations. Sir Keir told MPs that he had been guided by law and the “national interest” following retaliatory strikes by Iran.
The legal opinion states: “We have been advised that there is an argument that the US’s status as the aggressor in the conflict means that any operations justified on the basis of collective self-defence are likely to fail to meet the necessity criterion.
“This is because the US need not conduct defensive strikes in response to the armed attacks on the Gulf states: it could bring Iran’s attacks on the Gulf states to an end by ceasing its own military action against Iran.
“If this is right, the US has no right under international law to act in defence of the Gulf states, and the UK’s purported justification for the US’s use of UK bases entirely falls away.”
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Article continues at https://morningstaronline.co.uk/article/dossier-burnham-starmer-iran-war-illegal
UK Prime Minister Andy Burnham admits to blatently lying and engaging in deception to become leader of the UK Labour Party and Prime Minister. He asks who could possibly object to the IDF starving people to death, conducting forced marches like the Nazis did, bombing all Gaza’s hospitals and universities, mass-murdering journalists, healthworkers and starving people queuing for food, killing and raping prisoners and murdering children. He says they’ve got a genocide to do for Israel and to stop objecting.
9 November 2026
Large crowds in Amsterdam join Red Line demonstration for Gaza
The demonstration, backed by humanitarian and human rights organizations including Amnesty International, Oxfam Novib and Save the Children, called on the Dutch government to take action over the situation in Gaza
Large crowds dressed in red gathered at Museumplein in Amsterdam on Sunday, for the fourth Red Line demonstration in solidarity with the people of Palestine, Anadolu reports.
The demonstration, backed by humanitarian and human rights organizations including Amnesty International, Oxfam Novib and Save the Children, called on the Dutch government to take action over the situation in Gaza.
The UN agency for Palestinian refugees, UNRWA, said Thursday that 1.98 million people, about 94% of Gaza’s population, needed shelter and other essential supplies, citing surveys conducted in June. It said 58% faced critical or catastrophic shelter needs.
READ: Gaza civil defense warns heavy rains, strong winds threaten nearly 950,000 displaced Palestinians
In October, the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs warned that 950,000 Palestinians were living in displacement sites facing moderate or high flood risks. More than 400,000 were in high-risk areas.
Israel launched its genocidal war on the Gaza Strip on Oct. 8, 2023, killing more than 74,000 Palestinians and wounding over 175,000 others, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry. The offensive also destroyed around 90% of the enclave’s civilian infrastructure.
More than a year after the October 2025 ceasefire took effect, shelter and reconstruction needs still far exceed available assistance amid continued Israeli restrictions on materials needed for temporary housing and home repairs.
READ: Netherlands ‘deeply regrets’ Israel’s decision to revoke status of Dutch diplomats in Ramallah
This work by Middle East Monitor is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.
UK Prime Minister Andy Burnham admits to blatently lying and engaging in deception to become leader of the UK Labour Party and Prime Minister. He asks who could possibly object to the IDF starving people to death, conducting forced marches like the Nazis did, bombing all Gaza’s hospitals and universities, mass-murdering journalists, healthworkers and starving people queuing for food, killing and raping prisoners and murdering children. He says they’ve got a genocide to do for Israel and to stop objecting.
9 November 2026
Trump says return to Iran war ‘highly unlikely’ if talks advance
This work by Middle East Monitor is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.
The United States President Donald Trump holds a Press Conference in the James S. Brady Press Briefing Room at the White House on April 6, 2026, in Washington DC, United States. [Celal Güneş – Anadolu Agency]
US President Donald Trump said that a return to direct military conflict with Iran remains “highly unlikely” if negotiations produce an agreement on its nuclear program and maritime access through the Strait of Hormuz.
“It depends on whether or not they sign a very strong agreement … The answer is highly unlikely it’s going to be necessary,” Trump told CNN, adding he would strike if he thinks it is “necessary.”
Trump emphasized that the American military had already inflicted severe damage during earlier engagements of the Iran war, maintaining that forces could resume strikes and “finish them off.”
“We’re ready for it. I’ve got three aircraft carriers here. The other one just arrived. We have three. They’re fully locked and loaded,” he said.
Turning to potential escalation scenarios, Trump asserted that US forces have identified 38 Iranian bridges that could be destroyed “in literally one hour.” However, he expressed reluctance to carry out strikes on civilian logistics networks, noting that rebuilding them would take a decade.
READ: Iran warns US of ‘devastating response’ if Washington starts war
8 November 2026
Iran says 2-day proposal stands, warns US against renewed attacks
This work by Middle East Monitor is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi gives a speech in Tehran, Iran on November 30, 2025. [Ahmet Serdar Eser – Anadolu Agency]
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said Sunday that Tehran’s two-day proposal to end the war remains on the table, urging the White House to meet Iran’s conditions and warning of a military response if Washington resumes attacks, Anadolu reports.
“American voters have made their choice. Time for the White House to make its own,” Araghchi wrote on the US social media company X, referring to Tuesday’s US midterm elections.
“Our 2-day proposal stands: meet the requirements, including end to war on all fronts, and you will see results,” he said. He warned that if Washington chose war, Iran’s forces would “rain down hell.”
On Monday, Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei said that Tehran’s seven-step proposal, first put forward in September, remained the basis for indirect talks with Washington and had been condensed so it could be implemented within two days.
Qatar, which has been mediating between Washington and Tehran, denied reports Saturday that the two sides had failed to reach a deal.
READ: Trump says return to Iran war ‘highly unlikely’ if talks advance
This work by Middle East Monitor is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.
8 November 2026
Hegseth is ‘100% a War Criminal’ Who ‘Needs to Be Prosecuted,’ Says Former Top Pentagon Official
Article by Brad Reed republished from Common Dreams under Creative Commons (CC BY-NC-ND 3.0).
US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth arrives on stage for a discussion during the US Army’s 2026 Annual Meeting and Exposition on October 14, 2026 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images)
“He is conducting state terrorism.”
While President Donald Trump this week indicated he’s standing by Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth in the wake of brutal midterm election losses, Democratic Party leaders have indicated they’ll use their new majorities in Congress to remove him from office, one way or another.
The Intercept reported on Thursday that source in the US Department of Defense, as well as on Capitol Hill, believe Hegseth’s days are numbered due to a number of factors, including an “endless raft of scandals, culture-war clownishness, and senseless policies.”
RECOMMENDED…
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Pentagon Officials Reportedly Ready to ‘Spill Their Guts’ to Help Get Hegseth Impeached
Wes J. Bryant, a senior targeting adviser and policy analyst at the Pentagon who was pushed out of his job last year, told The Intercept that Hegseth’s extrajudicial killings of people in the Caribbean and Pacific constitute war crimes.
“He is conducting state terrorism,” said Bryant. “He is 100% a war criminal. He needs to be prosecuted.”
A senior congressional staffer told The Intercept that a resolution to impeach Hegseth being offered in the US House of Representatives by outgoing Rep. Thomas Massie (R-Ky.) could gain significant bipartisan support if the defense secretary refuses to step down.
“There are very angry senior Republicans in the national security space who honestly pin a lot of their election losses on [Hegseth],” the staffer said. “They are furious… So they’re asking themselves, ‘What is even the harm in voting to impeach Hegseth?’”
In a Thursday social media post, Massie advised Trump that forcing Hegseth to leave right now is the best option he has.
“If Trump’s going to replace appointees like Hegseth, he should do it while he can still get the replacements confirmed in the Senate,” Massie wrote. “Also, my Hegseth impeachment resolution is a much gentler version of what’s coming when Dems control Congress. They’ll have hearings and trials.”
Hegseth, however, remained defiant in the face of the impeachment threat and posted a video on social media where he vowed to remain at the Pentagon.
“A disgruntled, defeated Congressman, along with all his Democrat allies, has also dropped sham articles of impeachment against yours truly—just like they tried against President Trump twice,” Hegseth said. “It didn’t work against President Trump, and it won’t work with me.”
At the War Department:
We Stand.
We Fight.
We Defend the Republic. pic.twitter.com/Kkr0DazmCE
— Secretary of War Pete Hegseth (@SecWar) November 5, 2026
Richard Ojeda, a retired US army major who on Tuesday won an election as the Democratic Party’s nominee in North Carolina’s 9th congressional district, was less than impressed by Hegseth’s bravado.
“Trump took five deferments to keep from serving in Vietnam so you can shove that tough guy talk up your ass,” Ojeda wrote in response to Hegseth. “You are a war criminal. Tick tock.”
Former Rep. Justin Amash (R-Mich.) was similarly dismissive of Hegseth’s video and urged Congress to “impeach and remove Hegseth” then “prosecute him for war crimes.”
Rep. Jason Crow (D-Colo.) predicted that Hegseth would soon be out of a job, whether he knows it or not.
“After failing our servicemembers and starting new forever wars, Pete’s desperate to keep his job,” wrote Crow. “Tick tock, Mr. Secretary. Better start packing up your make-up room at the Pentagon. Time’s up.”
Article by Brad Reed republished from Common Dreams under Creative Commons (CC BY-NC-ND 3.0).
8 November 2026

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