In April, UN Watch sparked outrage around the world after it revealed that numerous democracies — Canada, Australia, France, the UK, Germany, Spain, Norway, the Netherlands, Switzerland, Austria, and Finland — joined in the consensus nomination of Iran to a key UN body that is now meeting to address women’s rights and terrorism prevention. The United States was the only member to object.

UN Watch’s exposé ignited a firestorm of international media attention, with lawmakers in multiple parliaments taking the floor to demand their governments oppose Iran’s election to crucial UN bodies.

Two weeks later, the UN did it again: they elected Iran a Vice-President of the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Review Conference. But this time, under pressure from UN Watch’s spotlight, the UK, France, Germany, and Australia changed their positions. Suddenly, they took the floor to officially object to the election of Iran, and to condemn its non-compliance.

• United States: “Let me be clear. The United States does not agree that Iran is a leader on issues of nuclear non-proliferation. We are deeply shocked that this body has chosen to allow Iran to assume this position.”

• United Kingdom, France, and Germany: “We would like to put on record our concerns that Iran, a country found to be in non-compliance with its nuclear obligations, is to be elected to the body tasked with ensuring the effective functioning of this review conference.”

• Australia: “Australia does not support Iran for a leadership role at this review conference. Iran’s non-compliance with its obligations and ongoing threat to the countries of its region make it clear that it is unfit for such a position.”

UN Watch’s Reporting Goes Viral

UN Watch was the first to break the story on the UN selection of Iran to serve as Vice-President of a conference on nuclear non-proliferation, with our reporting seen by hundreds of thousands across social media. UN Watch was cited in media reports on Fox News, CTV News, and Canada’s Global News.

Democracies at the UN Must Be Held Accountable 

As your voice at the United Nations, UN Watch will continue leading the fight to stop Iran and other regimes from securing leadership positions at the UN, and to pressure democratic countries to speak out forcefully against it. Democracies must stop enabling the Islamic regime — urge your elected officials to speak out.

The post Reversal: Democracies Protest Iran’s Election to UN Nuclear Body After UN Watch Pressure appeared first on UN Watch.

On April 27, 2026, UN Watch Executive Director Hillel Neuer addressed the Canadian Parliament’s subcommittee on human rights, setting the record straight on Ottawa’s nomination of Iran to a key UN body, UNRWA’s ties to terrorism, and on the most urgent reforms needed at the United Nations.

Testimony Highlights

MP Anita Vandenbeld: I do want to reassure members of the Committee and those watching that Canada does not support Iran for positions of influence in the United Nations.

Hillel Neuer: We heard from an honorable member that Canada does not support Iran in leadership positions. But actually Canada did support. Canada did join consensus on April 8th to nominate Iran. Canada could have spoken out.

There the Chair asked “Does anyone want to speak out?” The United States took the floor. The United States took the floor and said ”This is a shameful thing to do.” And Canada chose silence. As a Canadian, this is something that caused me a great shame.

Neuer Fact-Checks Liberal MP at 🇨🇦 Parliament:

MP Anita Vandenbeld: “Canada does not support Iran for positions of influence at the U.N.”

Hillel Neuer: “Actually, Canada did support Iran—on April 8th, Canada helped to nominate Iran. It could have spoken out, yet chose silence.” pic.twitter.com/YJv1Sf6A0o

— UN Watch (@UNWatch) May 4, 2026

_____________

MP Shuvaloy Majumdar: Hillel, as you know, the Canadian government had joined consensus to nominate the Iranian regime to a UN body that shapes policy on issues like women’s rights, human rights, counter-terrorism. May I ask you for your perspectives on that particular issue?

Hillel Neuer:  On April 8th, at a meeting of the United Nations Economic and Social Council, Canada — as well as other democracies, including France, Germany, the UK, Finland, Australia, Norway, Austria, and the Netherlands — joined consensus to nominate the Islamic Republic of Iran to the UN Committee for Program and Coordination, which is meeting soon: One day on women’s rights, one day on human rights, one day on peacekeeping, one day on terrorism prevention.

The notion that the Islamic Republic of Iran, which has just massacred some 40,000 protesters in two days, would be nominated to a committee that decides priorities for the United Nations on these critical issues is an insult to the memory of the tens of thousands of individuals who were killed that day, and it is an act of contempt for the people of Iran.

MP Shuvaloy Majumdar: Hillel, the Government has said that UNRWA supports values of human rights and peace. Meanwhile, the United States, Sweden, and the Netherlands have all cut or ended their funding to UNRWA for complicity with terrorism. UN Watch has been documenting problems with this organization for well over a decade, with numerous reports. What have you found in recent times?

Hillel Neuer: For a decade, we have been sounding the alarm that there are hundreds of UNRWA teachers, based in Gaza, Jordan, Lebanon, and elsewhere, who are funded by Canada and who are actively promoting terrorism — celebrating the killing of Jews, glorifying Nazi Germany and Adolf Hitler, and praising Hamas attacks.

And, honorable members, it is actually much worse than that. In the past year or two, we revealed that the heads of UNRWA’s education system — the very system that the Canadian government says it is funding to educate Palestinians in the values of peace and human rights — are not just supporters of Hamas, but Hamas terror chiefs.

These are the heads of the system. It is not a few bad apples — it is rotten to the core. An agency that should be helping Palestinians is instead poisoning them, with leaders of Hamas terrorism heading their education system. Canada cannot pretend it does not know. It does. UN Watch has documented a network of more than 400 UNRWA teachers and employees connected to Hamas — either supporting it, leading it, or praising terrorism. If we truly want to help Palestinians, we should not be poisoning the minds of another generation by funding terrorism.

MP Shuvaloy Majumdar: Hillel, if you were the Secretary-General of the United Nations, what would you do to fix this institutional and operational set of problems plaguing the organization?

Hillel Neuer: If I were UN Secretary-General, the main priority would be to restore moral clarity and credibility. If the United Nations cannot tell the difference between victims and their oppressors, it loses the very reason it exists. The UN’s greatest asset is its legitimacy — and it is eroding. We need to end the culture of false equivalence.

To say that the world’s largest dictatorship is the same as a liberal democracy is wrong. And when mass atrocities occur, the United Nations has to stop being silent. Too many countries get a free pass because they are powerful or have powerful alliances.

Second, we have to stop empowering abusers inside the system. If the UN allows China, Cuba, and Qatar to sit on the UN Human Rights Council, it is wrong. Authoritarian regimes should not be chairing human rights bodies or shaping global norms.

Finally, we have to refocus the UN on victims — not politics. Too often, the system amplifies regimes and sidelines dissidents. We should be systematically prioritizing giving the floor to dissidents — the kind we bring to our Geneva Summit: political prisoners, human rights defenders, victims of oppression, whether from the Islamic Republic of Iran, China, Zimbabwe, Venezuela, Pakistan, or Cuba. Give them the floor—not the regimes.

The post Hillel Neuer in Canadian Parliament: Exposing Canada’s Iran Nomination at the UN appeared first on UN Watch.

The fact is that Canada, as a member of the 54-nation UN Economic and Social Council, participated in the consensus nomination of the Islamic Republic of Iran to the UN Committee for Programme and Coordination on April 8, 2026.

This committee deals with budget priorities and program coordination on critical issues, and will meet soon, May 14-21, to address women’s rights, human rights, and terrorism prevention. (See here.)

At a minimum, Canada should have taken the floor to object that it is wrong to nominate a regime that only months ago massacred thousands of protesters, and that brutally oppresses women, tortures political prisoners, and systematically violates basic human rights.

This is exactly what the United States did in that meeting. It was the only country that formally objected and disassociated itself from the consensus decision, citing Iran’s appalling record on women’s rights.

Canada and other Western democracies, however, remained silent and allowed the consensus to pass in ECOSOC, a body of which Canada is a member.

Notably, in a similar scenario at ECOSOC in April 2022, Canada, the UK, the EU, and several other democracies took the floor to object to the election of a Russian candidate, months after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

At that time, Canada rightly took the floor, on behalf also of New Zealand, to object to and disassociate from the election of the Russian national, and to condemn “Russia’s unprovoked and unjustified attack on Ukraine.” Canada stressed that it did not want to provide “tacit endorsement” of the appointment of the Russian national.

This precedent from 2022 confirms that Canada clearly had the option on April 8, 2026 to likewise object to the nomination of Iran’s regime — but the Carney government made the decision not to do so.

Canada’s Reply is Misleading

Canada’s foreign ministry posted a series of tweets, saying: 

There have been incorrect reports on social media about Canada’s position on the nomination of Iran to the United Nations Economic and Social Council Committee for Programme and Coordination – an advisory body with no decision-making role. Iran was nominated as part of the Asia-Pacific Group. Canada is not a member of the group and did not endorse or vote for this nomination. There was no vote, as per established procedures. Canada does not support Iran for positions of influence within the United Nations. We will continue to actively work with partners to counter Iranian candidacies.

The truth:

• It is false and misleading to claim that the “nomination” of Iran was done by the Asia-Pacific regional group. Although it is the regional groups that first propose candidates, the UN procedure is very clear that the formal “nomination” is effected by the members of the Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC). It is a fact that the nomination of the Islamic Republic of Iran was done by Canada and the other members, in a consensus decision. Saying or suggesting otherwise is false and misleading.

• Saying that the Canada “did not endorse or vote for this nomination” is misleading if not outright false. In fact, as UN Watch first exposed in this viral tweet, Canada joined ECOSOC’s nomination of the Islamic Republic of Iran. Therefore, Canada by definition “endorsed” the nomination. All the more so when Canada failed to take the floor and dissociate itself from the decision — as the U.S. did at that meeting, and as Canada had done in April 2022 with the stated purpose of countering any interpretation that it provided “tacit endorsement” of the appointment.

• Implying that the regional group made the nomination, one which Canada did not endorse, is false. While the regional groups propose candidates, it is only Canada and the other ECOSOC members who have the power of “nomination.” (See UN ECOSOC Resolution 2008 (LX) and additional sources here.)

Iran was nominated as part of the Asia-Pacific Group. Canada is not a member of the group and did not endorse or vote for this nomination. There was no vote, as per established procedures.

— Foreign Policy CAN (@CanadaFP) April 19, 2026

4/ @MarkJCarney By way of reminder, here is how Canada rightly objected to an ECOSOC election on April 13, 2022, and what you should have done to object to Iran's nomination 12 days ago.@CanadaUN: “Madam President, I would like to make a brief statement on behalf of New… pic.twitter.com/jN7B72KCsS

— Hillel Neuer (@HillelNeuer) April 20, 2026

.@MarkJCarney Mr. Prime Minister, this is misleading if not outright false. On April 8th, your 🇨🇦 government participated in the consensus decision to nominate the Islamic Republic of Iran—to a committee that meets soon to address women's rights & terrorism prevention. 👇 proof https://t.co/02VufE1F4l

— Hillel Neuer (@HillelNeuer) April 19, 2026

The post Canada slapped with Community Note for denying it nominated Iran to UN body addressing women’s rights appeared first on UN Watch.

The fact is that Germany, as a member of the 54-nation UN Economic and Social Council, participated in the consensus nomination of the Islamic Republic of Iran to the UN Committee for Programme and Coordination on April 8, 2026.

This committee deals with budget priorities and program coordination on critical issues, and will meet soon to address women’s rights, human rights, and terrorism prevention.

At a minimum, Germany should have taken the floor to object that it is wrong to nominate a regime that only months ago massacred thousands of protesters, and that brutally oppresses women, tortures political prisoners, and systematically violates basic human rights.

This is exactly what the United States did in that meeting. It was the only country that formally objected and disassociated itself from the consensus decision, citing Iran’s appalling record on women’s rights.

Germany and other Western democracies, however, remained silent and allowed the consensus to pass in ECOSOC, a body of which Germany is a member.

Notably, in a similar scenario at ECOSOC in April 2022, the EU and several other democracies took the floor to object to the election of a Russian candidate, months after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Speaking on behalf of Germany (which was also then a member of ECOSOC) and all other European Union member states, France took the floor to object and disassociate the EU states from the decision. This precedent from 2022 confirms that Germany clearly had the option to object to the nomination of Iran’s regime, but it made the decision not to do so.

Germany’s Reply is Misleading

The German foreign ministry’s recent reply to criticism of its actions is misleading.

On X.com, @AuswaertigesAmt posted: “The election of the members of this UN committee will only take place in November at the UN General Assembly. This refers to the nomination of candidates by the Asia-Pacific regional group, which was accepted by acclamation. An election of Iran by  did not take place.”  (Translation.)

The truth:

•  It is false and misleading to claim that the “nomination” of Iran was done by the Asia-Pacific regional group. Although it is the regional groups that first propose candidates, the UN procedure is very clear that the formal “nomination” is effected by the members of the Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC). It is a fact that the nomination of Iran was done by Germany and the other members, in a consensus decision. Saying or suggesting otherwise is false and misleading.

• Saying that the “nomination” of Iran “was accepted by acclamation” is wrong and misleading in two ways: first, there was no “nomination” for ECOSOC to “accept” because, as explained above, while the regional groups propose candidates, it is only Germany and the other ECOSOC members who have the power of “nomination”; second, the foreign ministry here uses passive language to imply that Iran’s name was merely “accepted” by some anoymous entity, in a disingenuous attempt to mask Germany’s active decision to participate in the consensus nomination of Iran.

• Saying that “an election of Iran by did not take place” is a straw-man argument, because UN Watch never claimed there was an “election.” Rather, what happened on April 8th — as UN Watch first exposed in this viral tweet — is that Germany and the others decided to nominate Iran, and then failed to take the floor to object — as the US did in that meeting, and as the EU, UK, and Canada had done in a similar scenario at ECOSOC in April 2022.

• The German foreign ministry is correct that “the election of the members of this UN committee will only take place in November at the UN General Assembly.” However, the decisive step in this process was the ECOSOC nomination of Iran, supported by Germany, on April 8th. Past practice shows that the formal election by the UN General Assembly in November 2026 will almost certainly rubber-stamp the nomination of Iran.

.@AuswaertigesAmt This is misleading. As the UN video clearly shows, it was 🇩🇪 Germany that nominated the Islamic Republic of Iran to the committee — joining the consensus decision with 53 other members of the UN Economic and Social Council.

Though Asia put forward its slate,… pic.twitter.com/9czugsw6sC

— Hillel Neuer (@HillelNeuer) April 18, 2026

13/ Germany could have taken the floor at that meeting to object. We know that because that is exactly the US did.

Bravo to the 🇺🇸 for taking a stand: “The regime threatens its neighbors and has, for decades, infringed on the Iranian people’s ability to exercise their basic… pic.twitter.com/DToEnD3rmO

— Hillel Neuer (@HillelNeuer) April 18, 2026

The post Germany’s misleading denial that it nominated Iran to UN committee addressing women’s rights & terror prevention appeared first on UN Watch.

UN Watch also called on all democratic ECOSOC member states — Canada, France, Spain, Norway, the Netherlands, Australia, the UK, Finland, Switzerland, Austria, and Finland — to explain why they refused to object to Iran’s nomination. During the meeting, the Chair repeatedly invited members to object, but the U.S. was the only country to do so.

After UN Watch exposed the silence from these democratic countries — which instantly went viral across social media and quickly racked up over 4 million views on X.com — some democracies attempted to escape criticism by suggesting that they never endorsed Iran for this UN committee.

Canada’s government responded that “Iran was nominated by the Asian group of which Canada is not a member” and that “there was no vote at the committee.” Finland’s Ministry for Foreign Affairs echoed this narrative and added that it “had no other options.” But as UN Watch Executive Director Hillel Neuer publicly refuted on X.com, Finland and the other democracies did have other options.

Refuting the Misinformation on the UN’s Nomination of Iran

• Although it is the Asia-Pacific regional group which put forward its list of candidates which included Iran, all 54 ECOSOC members — including Canada, France, Spain, Norway, the Netherlands, Australia, the UK, Finland, Switzerland, Austria, and Finland — joined the Council’s consensus to formally nominate Iran and all the others. It is misleading to deny participation in the process only because the nomination stemmed from another regional group.

• During the meeting, the United States took the floor to disassociate from the consensus nomination of Iran, stating that the regime threatens its neighbors, infringes on the Iranian people’s ability to exercise their basic human rights, and is thus unfit to serve. The Chair repeatedly invited other delegates to take the floor and make similar statements, but Canada, Finland, and the other democracies chose to remain silent. Instead, all Western states could have disassociated from the consensus — as the U.S. did.

• Although not members of Iran’s regional group, Western countries could have used diplomatic leverage to encourage the group to select another candidate — as democracies did it in 2010, getting East Timor to defeat Iran at UN Women. As reported, in this case, “the EU, Australia & Canada carried out an intensive diplomatic campaign to thwart Iran.”

• In response to their inaction, Finland’s claim that “it is important for us to support the entire UN system and… that we do not paralyze the activities of the entire UN” is disappointing. Protesting Iran just months after the regime slaughtered tens of thousands of their own civilians would not “paralyze” the UN, but instead help protect human rights.

I regret some democracies now suggest they never endorsed Iran for a UN committee that soon meets on women's rights.

I ask each foreign minister: Yes or no, did your government join ECOSOC's April 8 consensus nomination of the Islamic Republic of Iran?
🎥 https://t.co/Wa5kLLws6v

— Hillel Neuer (@HillelNeuer) April 16, 2026

The post Democracies Deny Responsibility for Nominating Iran to UN Committee appeared first on UN Watch.

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At the UN Human Rights Council, Iran called an urgent debate to condemn the U.S. & Israel for “targeting civilians.” China, Cuba, Russia, North Korea and Spain piled on. Then UN Watch’s Hillel Neuer took the floor to set the record straight.

Highlights from the UN Human Rights Council, March 27, 2026:

Venezuela: The Group of Friends in Defense of the United Nations Charter welcomes this initiative of Iran, China, and Cuba to hold an urgent debate. The United States and Israel must respect international humanitarian law.

Islamic Republic of Iran: Shajareh Tayyebeh Elementary School has not been the only casualty of American-Israeli atrocity crimes during the past 27 days of their illegal war. They are targeting civilians and civilian infrastructures. Their clear intent to commit genocide.

UN Human Rights Chief: U.S. and Israeli attacks have increasingly struck densely populated residential areas. Whatever differences countries have, we can all agree they will not be solved by killing school children.

Cuba: Schools are protected spaces, there’s no justification for bombing a school which is full of children. This is not collateral damage. This is a war crime.

Spain: The pupils and teachers of Minab School were also the victims of a breach of international law.

China: The most egregious violation of human rights and blatant contempt for International Humanitarian Law.

North Korea: The DPRK delegation condemns in the strongest tone the shameless rogue act of the U.S. and Israel.

Hillel Neuer, UN Watch: Mr. President, what happened at the Minab Girls School located next to an IRGC military base is a tragedy.

We welcome the U.S. decision to open an investigation by an officer independent of CENTCOM. Responsible democracies must hold themselves to account.

But let us be clear: If anything this incident was an exception that proves the rule. The United States has now conducted 10,000 strikes targeting IRGC weapons and military assets not civilians.

That’s how they destroyed vast amounts of IRGC missile, drone, and naval capabilities.

By contrast, from Dubai to Tel Aviv the Islamic Republic of Iran is deliberately targeting homes, playgrounds, and hospitals — not by accident, but by design. In Israel, the casualty rate from Iranian attacks is 100% civilian.

Distinguished Delegates, there is a clear difference between inadvertently killing civilians during war a tragedy that occurs in every conflict and targeting civilians as a policy. Those who blur this moral distinction betray the very meaning of humanitarian law.

Because those who target civilians have a name: Terrorists. That is why the EU officially designated the Islamic Revolutionary Guards by that name. Terrorists.

To the IRGC we say: You do not represent the Iranian people. No — they consider you occupiers of their country.

History’s verdict is already written for those who murder thousands of their own people, and who target hospitals and playgrounds and call it “resistance.”

The IRGC has chosen the path of shame. I urge the civilized world: Choose the path of honor. Stand with the Iranian people.

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UN Watch Testimony Delivered by Hillel Neuer before the U.N. Human Rights Council, Urgent Debate on Iranian Aggression, March 25, 2026

Mr. President,

Four months ago, at the Oxford Union, I stood in a debate—facing a former Iranian Vice-President and PA Prime Minister—where the proposition claimed that Israel was a greater threat to regional stability than the Islamic Republic of Iran. A majority in that chamber voted yes.

I warned them they had it exactly backwards.

Today, reality has delivered its verdict.

This very urgent debate—requested by Bahrain, Jordan, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates—confirms what the facts have long shown.

That Iran’s radical theocracy is devoted to exporting war, terror, chaos and death across the region — and the world.

Iran has launched direct aggression against its neighbors — thousands of missiles and drones, bombing homes, playgrounds, airports, and desalination plants.

So let us be clear: the world now sees who is the real threat to regional stability.

I hope the Oxford Union will reflect on its vote.

But I also ask the United Nations and this Council to reflect on your own record.

Because for years, the UN has falsely treated Israel as the central threat. Why is there a permanent agenda item on the democracy defending itself from terror, the one making peace and normalization accords with its neighbors, including Egypt, Jordan, Bahrain, UAE, and hopefully soon many others?

Why do you have no agenda item instead on the Islamic Revolutionary Guards that murder their own people, hunts critics across Europe and America, and export terror on four continents?

If the UN is serious about protecting peace, you must choose: between illusion and truth — between appeasing aggression, and confronting it.

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In collaboration with the Permanent Mission of Israel to the United Nations in Geneva, the Swiss human rights NGO UN Watch hosted a side event at the Palais de Nations, addressing the dire situation of human rights in Iran, specifically focusing on the intersection of sports, forced exile, and the systemic oppression of women.

The event was opened and moderated by UN Watch Chief Strategy & Diplomacy Officer Daniel Radomski, with additional remarks by Israeli Ambassador Daniel Meron. The keynote speaker was Marzieh Hamidi, Afghan-Iranian taekwondo champion and activist. Last month, Hamidi received the 2026 International Women’s Rights Award at the 18th annual Geneva Summit for Human Rights and Democracy for her tireless advocacy for Afghan women’s rights.

Marzieh Hamidi’s Full Remarks:

Ladies and gentlemen, my name is Marzieh Hamidi. I am a woman born and raised in Iran from an exiled Afghanistani family — a girl whose identity was defined not by choice but by repression.

My parents came to Iran escaping war. Yet even so, the Islamic Republic denied me the recognition and visibility I deserve. Despite being Persian by language and by heritage, I was never fully seen as an Iranian. My rights, my identity, and my existence were constantly questioned and marginalized by the system.

This denial of identity was not just personal. It reflects the experience of millions of Afghanistanis in Iran whose lives are lived on the margins, without citizenship and without the certainty of human dignity.

For millions of people in Iran, life under the Islamic Republic has meant decades of repression, fear, and control — especially for women and girls. For 47 years, the regime has built a system designed to silence women, control their bodies, and punish those who dare to demand freedom.

But something changed when Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, the supreme leader of the Islamic Republic, was killed in a joint U.S.-Israeli airstrike. The reaction among Iranians was immediate and remarkable. Many celebrated inside Iran and across the world, seeing it as a moment of hope after decades of repression.

Yet I also noticed that some people in the West reacted with anger and sadness — a response I struggled to understand, given the deep suffering the Islamic Republic inflicts on millions.

For many Iranians, it felt as if history had suddenly cracked open. Inside Iran, hope is always mixed with fear — fear that the world will once again look away, fear that the regime, wounded but still dangerous, will regroup if the Iranian people are left alone.

Because the Islamic Republic is not simply a government. It is a system based on violence, repression, and intimidation. Women know this reality better than anyone.

The world watched the tragic death of Mahsa Amini. Her killing ignited the global “Women, Life, Freedom” movement. But Mahsa Amini was not the first victim, and she will not be the last if the system remains unchanged.

Teenage girls have been poisoned in their classrooms for protesting. Women have been dragged across the street for removing their hijabs. Many have been imprisoned, tortured, or killed simply for demanding basic human rights.

When Iranian women chant “Women, Life, Freedom,” they are not repeating a slogan. They are describing the daily cost of living under a system that treats freedom as a crime.

And this repression extends even into sports. As a taekwondo athlete, I know how difficult life is for female athletes in Iran.

Women athletes live in constant survival mode. We are controlled in what we wear, how we behave, what we say, and even who we are allowed to compete against.

There have been many cases where Iranian athletes were forced to withdraw from competition simply because their opponent was from Israel. Athletes spend years training for international competition. But under this regime, political ideology can destroy a career in a single moment.

Even worse, athletes are often pressured to obey orders that go against their own principles.

Recently, the war revealed another shocking example. Members of the Iranian women’s national football team traveled to Australia for international competition. While they were there, they received threats linked to the Islamic Republic. They feared that if they returned to Iran, their safety would not be guaranteed.

So they made a heartbreaking decision. They sought asylum in Australia and became refugees, fearing persecution if forced to return home.

Imagine that athletes representing their country at an international tournament were forced to choose between returning home and protecting their lives. This is not normal. This is what happens when sport exists under an authoritarian regime.

And yet, despite these realities, the Islamic Republic continues to be treated as a legitimate actor on the international stage.

Let me be clear. The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps — the IRGC — is officially listed as a terrorist organization. And yet members of this organization, or individuals connected to it, travel freely in the West. They negotiate, they lobby, and they claim legitimacy.

Negotiate with whom? With terrorists.

This is not just hypocrisy. This is dangerous.

I know this danger personally. After the “Women, Life, Freedom” movement, I attended the European Parliament for International Women’s Day, speaking about the situation of Afghanistani women.

There, a lobbyist with connections to the Iranian regime approached me. He knew my story. He knew I had protested against the Islamic Republic.

Yet he proposed, almost casually, that I should return to Iran, train with the national team, and live there. Why?

To use me as a symbol of legitimacy — to create a false narrative: Look, even this girl, born in Iran to Afghan parents, can live under our system. Our regime is not as bad as people claim.

This was not an offer. This was propaganda. This was manipulation.

But I refused.

I refused because I stand for my values. I refused because no achievement, no opportunity, and no future is worth becoming a tool for oppression.

For me, what is most dangerous is not just the violence inside Iran. It is the spread of lies outside Iran. These lobbies operate across Europe and beyond, trying to rewrite the narrative of a regime built on repression, terror, and violence.

The Islamic regime does not end at its borders. It seeks to influence, to control, and to silence voices even beyond its borders.

And as an international community, we must ask ourselves: Why are we negotiating with those whose hands are stained with oppression? Why are we giving legitimacy to systems that terrorize their own people and export violence abroad?

The removal of one of the leaders does not dismantle an entire system. But moments like this can break the illusion that such systems are untouchable.

For decades, the leadership of the Islamic Republic was portrayed as permanent and unchallengeable. Today, that illusion has been shattered.

For women and girls in Iran, that matters — because every crack in a system of oppression creates a space for hope.

This moment belongs first to the people of Iran, especially to the women and girls who risk prison, exile, and death to demand a simple truth: that their lives, their freedom, and their dignity matter.

Many of them did not live to see this moment. But their voices continue to echo in the streets of Iran and around the world.

And their message remains clear:

Women. Life. Freedom.

Thank you.

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UN Watch Executive Director Hillel Neuer appeared on NewsNation’s Morning in America with host Hena Doba to discuss the ongoing conflict involving Iran, the reaction of the United Nations, and the implications for the Iranian people and the wider Middle East. During the interview, Neuer argued that while Iran’s actions have destabilized the region for decades, much of the UN system has focused its criticism on the United States and Israel.

Interview Transcript:

Hena Doba: Here with us now is Hillel Neuer, Executive Director of the human rights group UN Watch. Well, I’m so thrilled to have you. Thanks for coming on. I know you were in town from Geneva, so I appreciate it. As the conflict with Iran continues, we’ve heard criticism from many of our allies as well. What are you watching most closely in terms of how the United Nations is handling this global conflict?

Hillel Neuer: Look, the Gulf Arab states who have been hit enormously by Iran — the UAE, Bahrain, Qatar, and others. They got the Security Council to adopt a very strong resolution condemning Iranian aggression against them. China and Russia were afraid to veto it, so they abstained.

So that was one response from the UN — but that’s the exception. The rest of the UN agencies, led by Secretary-General António Guterres, have been condemning the U.S. and Israel very strongly, but have not been mentioning the decades of Iranian aggression against the United States.

The Iranian regime has the blood of hundreds of Americans on its hands. They’ve been chanting every day “Death to America,” “Death to Israel,” manufacturing missiles, pursuing an illicit nuclear weapon.

Meanwhile, UN agencies — UNESCO, UNICEF, UN Women — have been condemning the U.S. and Israel but haven’t been mentioning that Iran itself massacred tens of thousands of its own people just a few months ago.

Hena Doba: Absolutely. On the numbers, we had an adviser on for the exiled crown prince last week. He said the number of deaths in Iran could be close to 40,000 civilians. On Friday, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said this in response to the situation in Iran:

Secretary Pete Hegseth (by video recording): Our response: we will keep pressing. We will keep pushing. Keep advancing. No quarter, no mercy for our enemies.

Hena Doba: No mercy for our enemies. You are part of the UN system. From your perspective, what are the implications of rhetoric like this?

Hillel Neuer: Well, the question is: what is the threat of the Iranian regime? I’m in touch with Iranian activists on the ground — thousands of them who are writing every day. They want this regime gone. They see this regime as their enemy, as occupying their country. They have risen up heroically. The Iranian people are heroic. They rose up in the hundreds of thousands, if not millions. They were gunned down — tens of thousands of people.

So they want this regime neutralized. And the American people are facing a possibly nuclear-armed Iran — a regime that has attacked a dozen of its neighbors, kills its own people, and chants “Death to America.” So the threat needs to be neutralized.

Hena Doba: We’ve had a lot of military experts on in the last few days, and they say diplomacy is still crucial with our allies. How do you reach diplomacy when the Secretary of War is saying, “Hey, we’re not going to have any mercy on the Iranian people, or whoever gets in our way here”?

Hillel Neuer: Well, the Iranian people are the ones asking for this regime to be removed…

Hena Doba: The Iranian regime, excuse me, Iranian regime.

Hillel Neuer: ...so look, the threat has to be dismantled. There is a threat of aggression against the entire Middle East. Iran has had proxy terror networks — Hamas, the Houthis, Hezbollah — armed and funded by Iran, spreading terror across the region. They tried to kill my friend here in New York City, the journalist and activist Masih Alinejad. Several times tried to kidnap her and kill her. They’ve tried to kill American leaders here several times. So the threat has to be dismantled. There is room for diplomacy after the regime has been dismantled.

Hena Doba: On Friday, officials also talked about the bombing of a girls’ school in Iran. Let’s listen to that as well.

Secretary Pete Hegseth (by video recording): “All I can say is that we’re investigating that. We never target civilian targets, but we’re looking into investigating that.”

Hena Doba: Almost 175 people were killed in that attack — most of them children. With the technology that the U.S. and Israel have, how do we not yet know who was responsible for this bombing?

Hillel Neuer: There’s no independent verification yet of the casualties or anything else. It seems that a school was hit and that there were terrible casualties. It’s heartbreaking. It’s tragic. But let’s keep in mind: the United States has attacked approximately 6,000 targets. Secretary Hegseth is right that there is no evidence at all that the United States deliberately targeted civilians.

President Trump initially suggested the U.S. might have been responsible, and then said it was being investigated. Reports say it may well have been a U.S. strike. If so, that is tragic and heartbreaking. But the U.S. has conducted about 6,000 strikes, and they distinguish between civilians and the regime. They’re trying to hit the regime. Accidents happen. It has to be fully investigated. They’ve appointed an independent expert outside CENTCOM to investigate.

But to claim that this is a war crime because civilians were deliberately targeted is false. The Iranian regime deliberately attacks civilians. You just had reports that they’re attacking Israeli civilian centers with cluster munitions — which by definition spread over populated areas. That is deliberately attacking civilians. The United States is attacking the regime. Mistakes are tragic and need to be investigated.

Hena Doba: You and I were talking about the recent crackdowns that have killed thousands of people in Iran. You said you have friends on the ground there. Does this moment strengthen their opposition, or does the war make it harder for them to speak up?

Hillel Neuer: They’ve been pleading with the international community: “help us remove this occupying regime. They’ve been terrorizing us for decades.”

Iran is the world capital of executions. They attack dissidents, journalists, human rights activists, and women who dare to demand their rights. So they are waiting for this regime to be weakened. Israeli strikes have also targeted the Basij — the oppressive machinery of death within the Iranian regime. They’re waiting for the moment to stand up and regain their freedom.

Hena Doba: You’ve spent years documenting human rights abuses by the Iranian regime. With the world’s attention now on Iran, do you believe there’s finally an opportunity for greater accountability?

Hillel Neuer: Yes indeed. This is a moment. We’re talking about 47 years of systematic repression. The regime has been condemned even by the UN General Assembly for attacking women who dare to demand their rights, attacking minorities — whether Azeris, Baloch, Kurds and others — religious minorities, journalists, and democracy activists. If this regime is weakened and dismantled, there will be a chance for real accountability.

Hena Doba: From your perspective, what would a real diplomatic path forward look like right now? Who needs to lead?

Hillel Neuer: First, the threat from the regime has to be dismantled — the missile threat, the nuclear threat, and the terrorizing of their own people. Once that happens, if new leadership emerges, there will be room for a diplomatic way out.

Hena Doba: Benjamin Netanyahu recently said he’s open to boots on the ground. Do you see that happening — from the U.S. military and the IDF?

Hillel Neuer: I think it’s more unlikely from the United States. There’s not a strong appetite for that in the U.S. But there may be elements of the nuclear program — uranium facilities buried under rubble or deep underground — that you can’t necessarily eliminate from the air.

The Israeli people are willing to do what’s necessary to remove this threat. They’ve been living under this sword for decades. Israelis have been in bomb shelters for the past two weeks, barely sleeping. Thousands have been injured.

But they want the threat of nuclear annihilation removed. Iran has threatened to destroy Israel while spending hundreds of billions pursuing nuclear weapons instead of helping its own people. So if you can remove that nuclear threat, it needs to be done.

Hena Doba: In the last few days we’ve seen several countries — including France and some Middle Eastern allies — calling for de-escalation and a return to diplomacy. President Trump said the strikes will continue. Do you think that will help diplomacy moving forward?

Hillel Neuer: France has been talking about Lebanon, but the problem is that Hezbollah has effectively taken over Lebanon for decades. They are essentially run by Iran’s IRGC. The Iranian embassy in Beirut is effectively running the show — not in the interests of the Lebanese people, but in the interests of the Iranian regime.

Israel warned them not to attack, and they did anyway. The Lebanese people understand that Hezbollah has no interest in their welfare. They are a terror proxy of the Iranian regime. The path to diplomacy will come when the terror network afflicting the Middle East — run by Iran through Hezbollah, Hamas, and the Houthis — is dismantled.

Hena Doba: I really enjoyed our conversation. Hillel Neuer, thank you so much for coming on.

Hillel Neuer: Thank you for having me.

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