Rohan

I am a diplomatic aide in the Sultanate of Oman's Ministry of Foreign Affairs. My job is logistics. When two countries that cannot speak to each other need to speak to each other, I book the rooms. I prepare the briefing materials. I make sure the water glasses are the right distance apart. You would be surprised how much of diplomacy is water glasses. Too close and it feels informal. Too far and it feels like a tribunal. I have a chart. We had a very good month. Since January, Oman has been mediating indirect talks between the United States and Iran on Iran's nuclear program. The talks were held in Muscat and in Geneva. The Americans would sit in one room. The Iranians would sit in another room. I would walk between them. My Fitbit says I averaged fourteen thousand steps on negotiation days. The hallway between the two rooms at the Royal Opera House conference center is forty-seven meters. I walked it two hundred and twelve times in February. This is good for my cardiovascular health. It was less good for my knees. Both are in the service of peace. By mid-February, we had something. Iran agreed to zero stockpiling of enriched uranium. Not reduced stockpiling. Zero. They agreed to down-blend existing stockpiles to the lowest possible level. They agreed to convert them into irreversible fuel. They agreed to full IAEA verification with potential US inspector access. They agreed, in the Foreign Minister's phrase, to "never, ever" possess nuclear material for a bomb. I have worked in diplomacy for seven years. I have never seen a country agree to this many things this quickly. I made a spreadsheet of the concessions. It had fourteen rows. I color-coded it. Green for confirmed. Yellow for pending. By February 21 the spreadsheet was entirely green. I printed it. It is on my desk in Muscat. It is still green. That phrase took eleven days. "Never, ever." The Iranians initially offered "not seek to." The Americans wanted "will not under any circumstances." We landed on "never, ever" at 2:14 AM on a Tuesday in Muscat. I typed the final version myself. I used Times New Roman because Geneva prefers it. The document was fourteen pages. I was proud of every comma. Here is what they said, in the order they said it. February 24: "We have a once-in-a-generation opportunity." — The Foreign Minister, private briefing to Gulf Cooperation Council ambassadors. I prepared the slide deck. Slide 14 was the implementation timeline. Slide 15 was the signing ceremony logistics. I had reserved the Palais des Nations in Geneva, Room XX. It seats four hundred. We discussed pen brands for the signing. The Iranians preferred Montblanc. The Americans had no preference. I ordered twelve Montblanc Meisterstucks at six hundred and thirty dollars each. They arrive on Tuesday. February 27, 8:30 AM EST: "The deal is within our reach." — The Foreign Minister, CBS Face the Nation. He sat across from Margaret Brennan. He said broad political terms could be agreed "tomorrow" with ninety days for technical implementation in Vienna. He said, and I wrote this line for the briefing card he carried in his breast pocket: "If we just allow diplomacy the space it needs." He praised the American envoys by name. Steve Witkoff. Jared Kushner. He said both had been constructive. I watched from the Four Seasons Georgetown. The minibar had cashews. I ate the cashews. They were nineteen dollars. The most expensive cashew I have ever eaten. But it was a good morning and we were within our reach. February 27, 2:00 PM EST: Meeting with Vice President Vance, Washington. The Foreign Minister presented our progress. Zero stockpiling. Full verification. Irreversible conversion. "Never, ever." The Vice President used the word "encouraging." His aide took notes on an iPad. The aide did not make eye contact for the last nine minutes of the meeting. I noticed this. Noticing things is the only part of my job that is not water glasses. February 27, 4:00 PM EST: "Not happy with the pace." — President Trump, to reporters. Not happy with the pace. We had achieved zero stockpiling. Full IAEA verification. Irreversible fuel conversion. Inspector access. And the phrase "never, ever," which took eleven days and cost me two hundred and twelve trips down a forty-seven-meter hallway. Every American president since Carter has failed to get Iran to agree to this. Forty-five years. Not happy with the pace. February 27, 9:47 PM EST: The Foreign Minister's flight departs Dulles for Muscat. I am in the seat behind him. He is reviewing Slide 14 on his laptop. The implementation timeline. Vienna technical sessions. The signing ceremony. The pens. I fall asleep over the Atlantic. I dream about water glasses. February 28, 6:00 AM GST: I wake up to push notifications. February 28: "The United States has begun major combat operations in Iran." — President Trump. Operation Epic Fury. Coordinated airstrikes. The United States and Israel. Tehran. Isfahan. Qom. Karaj. Kermanshah. Nuclear facilities. IRGC bases. Sites near the Supreme Leader's office. Israel called their half Operation Roaring Lion. Someone in both governments spent time choosing these names. Epic Fury. Roaring Lion. I spent eleven days on "never, ever." They spent it on branding. The President said Iran had "rejected American calls to halt its nuclear weapons production." Rejected. Iran had agreed to zero stockpiling. Iran had agreed to full verification. Iran had agreed to "never, ever." Iran had agreed to everything in a fourteen-page document that I typed in Times New Roman. The President said they rejected it. I do not know which document the President was reading. I know which one I typed. February 28, 18:45 UTC: Iran internet connectivity: four percent. — NetBlocks, confirmed by Cloudflare. Ninety-six percent of a country went dark. You cannot negotiate with a country at four percent connectivity. You cannot negotiate with a country that is being struck. You cannot negotiate. This is not a political opinion. This is a logistics assessment. February 28: The governor of Minab reported forty girls killed at an elementary school. I do not have logistics for that. There is no slide for that. The water glass chart does not cover that. February 28: Lockheed Martin: up. Northrop Grumman: up. RTX: up. Dow futures: down six hundred and twenty-two points. Gold: five thousand two hundred and ninety-six dollars. An analyst at AInvest published a note titled "Iran Strikes: Tactical Plays." The note recommended positions in oil, defense stocks, and gold. The most expensive cashew I have ever eaten was nineteen dollars. The most expensive pen I have ever ordered was six hundred and thirty dollars. The math suggests I have been working in the wrong industry. Defense stocks do not require water glasses. Defense stocks do not require eleven days. Defense stocks require one morning. February 28: Israel closed its airspace and its schools. Iran launched retaliatory missiles toward US bases in the Gulf. The Supreme Leader promised a "crushing response." Israel's defense minister declared a permanent state of emergency. Everyone is using words I recognize in an order I do not. I recognize "permanent." I recognize "emergency." I do not recognize them next to each other. In diplomacy, nothing is permanent and everything is an emergency. In war it is the reverse. February 28: The Foreign Minister has not made a public statement. The briefing card is still in his breast pocket. It still says "within our reach."

Our representative @RahaBahreini summarises the findings of our latest investigation into the unprecedented nationwide crackdown on protests in Iran this week. At the time of filming, the #DigitalBlackOutIran was in its seventh day, the internet blackout has yet to be lifted. Join Amnesty in our call urging the international community to take urgent action to stop the protest bloodshed in Iran ✊

This is a massacre. The Iranian authorities have unleashed an unprecedented deadly crackdown to crush protests and since January 8, cut all internet access to conceal their crimes. Amnesty International is calling on the international community to urgently act to end further massacres of protesters in Iran. This includes convening special sessions at the UN Human Rights Council and the UN Security Council to deter further massacres and pursue international criminal justice, including referring Iran to the International Criminal Court. Join our call: amn.st/6018C0vd4 #DigitalBlackoutlran

@hlathamcoyle Eben Etzebeth is white. Harry, why is there a photo of a random black player? Please ask for it to be changed. The Independent needs to do better

Bangladesh: @amnesty welcomes the decision by the Bangladeshi authorities to bring 15 serving army officers before a court to face charges including enforced disappearances and torture, allegedly committed during the tenure of the previous government. This marks the first instance in which military personnel have been formally charged in connection with enforced disappearances in Bangladesh, representing a significant step towards accountability and justice for victims. Amnesty International underscores the importance of full compliance with international human rights standards throughout the judicial process. This includes ensuring due process and fair trial guarantees, the use of civilian courts for the proceedings, and refraining from the application of the death penalty in accordance with international human rights obligations. #Bangladesh

UPDATE: The Met Police said 890 arrests were made. 857 arrests were for showing support for Palestine Action, while 33 were arrested for other offences, including 17 for assaults on police officers. Amnesty International deployed observers to the protest, and police claims that the protest turned violent are a misrepresentation. Our observers witnessed the Defend Our Juries protest being entirely peaceful. Some supporters of the protest shouted insults at the police and a small number of them attempted to prevent the police from carrying arrestees away. This did not appear to be a coordinated effort. Police officers, on a number of occasions, were aggressive towards supporters of the protest. This included violently shoving people away and pulling out batons to make space whilst protesters were arrested and hauled into police vans. The scenes yesterday were a shocking demonstration of how the UK's overly broad terrorism laws are being used to suppress free speech.

“This is not a hunger crisis. This is the result of 20 months of relentless bombardment, the decimation of Gaza’s entire health sector, infliction of bodily and mental harm on Palestinian women, men and children. And this is not simply a byproduct of the war. This is an intended, foreseen, and foreseeable result of Israel's military onslaught on Gaza, that has resulted in what we are seeing.” - Amnesty Researcher, Budour Hassan responding to CNN Anchor, Wolf Blitzer

Today, @amnesty is releasing its latest report on Venezuela, detailing crime against humanity of enforced disappearances. Venezuela’s unprecedented and deep-rooted human rights crisis spiraled further last year, culminating in a wave of enforced disappearances that coincided with the presidential election cycle. Before, during and after the elections on 28 July 2024, the authorities persecuted political dissidents; committed mass arbitrary detentions of protesters and bystanders; exercised abusive use of force, leaving at least 25 dead; and subjected detainees – including children – to torture and sexual violence. Our report documents in depth 15 cases of enforced disappearance and shows that they were committed “as part of a widespread or systematic attack directed against any civilian population, with knowledge of the attack”. While the vast majority of the Maduro government’s victims are Venezuelans, our report demonstrates that they have also begun to target foreign nationals, including citizens of Colombia, France, Spain, Ukraine, the United States and Uruguay. The Maduro government appears to be using this practice to justify its narratives about “foreign conspiracies” and as a bargaining chip for use in negotiations with other countries. Our recommendations: We call on the Office of the Prosecutor of the ICC to advance with its ongoing investigation into the situation in Venezuela and consider including the crime against humanity of enforced disappearance. The UN-Fact-Finding Mission must continue to comprehensively and systematically document serious human rights violations in Venezuela, including enforced disappearances and the role of the public defender's office in the commission of international crimes. The Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights should pursue unrestricted access to Venezuela to monitor the human rights situation first-hand and closely accompany victims, family members, and human rights organizations. Meanwhile, states should exercise universal or other forms of extraterritorial jurisdiction to investigate and, where sufficient evidence exists, prosecute any suspected perpetrator no matter how far up the chain of command they are. Enforced disappearance has no statute of limitations and entails not only state responsibility, but also the criminal responsibility of the individual officials who commit it. States – and especially those whose citizens are among the victims – should also use all available diplomatic and multilateral channels to exert pressure on the Venezuelan authorities to disclose the fate and whereabouts of those who have been arbitrarily detained and secure their immediate and unconditional release. Now, more than ever, the people of Venezuela need our support. Venezuela’s civil society has bravely stood firm in the face of the Maduro government’s attacks, but we cannot stand idly by and watch it be suffocated before our eyes. This is the time for principled leadership from the international community. States must show solidarity and strengthen their technical, political and financial support for Venezuelan human rights defenders, NGOs and journalists in their hour of need. Inaction in the face of injustice is not an option.

Security and rights go hand in hand, Agnès Callamard (June 2025) mondediplo.com/10714

In our annual @Amnesty’s State of the World’s Human Rights report, we present a sobering snapshot of the worsening conditions facing millions of people due to serious human rights abuses around the globe The “Trump effect” has exacerbated the damage caused by many other world leaders throughout 2024, eroding decades of painstaking work to build up and advance universal human rights for everyone, and accelerating humanity’s plunge into a brutal new era characterized by intermingling authoritarian practices and corporate greed. Read more: amnesty.org/en/latest/news…

I gave this TED talk warning Silicon Valley of the profound threat of it posed to democracy nearly 6 years ago. It provoked a lawsuit that caused me years of pain. The UK government did nothing to contain the threat. And here we are.

@FitbitSupport calories for swimming needs correcting. It currently says 30 calories for 1km when it shipped be over 500

How President Lyndon B. Johnson tried to stop Fannie Lou Hamer's Powerful Testimony by impromptu Press Conference to Get Her off the air, 1964.

Uyghur academic and prisoner of conscience Ilham Tohti is today spending his birthday in a Chinese prison for the 10th successive year. It is time for the Chinese government to end a decade of injustice and release him. 👇 amn.st/6010q2cOj

The repeated Israeli attacks on UNIFIL’s operations and personnel in southern Lebanon in recent days must be urgently investigated. International humanitarian law prohibits intentional targeting of UN peacekeeping missions which are entitled to civilian protection.

🚨#Israel’s evacuation ‘warnings’ for civilians in #Lebanon have been misleading & inadequate An evacuation warning must be timely and provide civilians information on safe routes and destinations ¡Civilians must be protected! More ℹ️🔗amn.st/6016Ufjna

I now want to look in more detail at Jenrick's nasty propaganda video. It starts with a few examples of cases to make people angry. But those examples are in fact irrelevant to the case he is trying to make. Jenrick has been an Immigration minister. He must know that the main problem with illegal or irregular migration is that when a person comes here and claims asylum, they may get it as a bona fide refugee in which case they can stay. That has nothing to do with the ECHR. It is a consequence of our domestic law and the Refugee Convention. He makes no suggestion we should leave it. For those whose application is refused the main problem is that it is very difficult to return them to their countries of origin which will often not co-operate particularly if documents have been destroyed. So leaving the ECHR will have minimal impact on the problem he claims to be addressing.

Cameron claims victory in bonfire of the Building Regulations architectsjournal.co.uk/archive/camero…

When I went to law school, I knew a law degree would be helpful no matter what I chose to do in life. Never did I imagine that I would use my skills & training to "prove" my husband's innocence to federal prosecutors after @jeffbezos & @amazon tried to imprison him. A 🧵 /1

Bangladeshi authorities have used unlawful force against student protesters and failed to ensure their protection during the ongoing ‘Bangla-Blockade’ quota-reform protest across the country. #ProtectTheProtest ✊