Jennifer Graham

There are people doing amazing things in the world, and they make me feel there is a future for our planet.

[Phillips P. OBrien @PhillipsPOBrien]

Trump is so angry that Iran will not give him a deal that he is telling the US military to commit war crimes. Destroying a drinking water facility is not an attack on a target of war, but a mafia-style operation designed to harm the Iranian people.
https://t.co/RikqZSOaSY

[Jennifer Graham @refennij]

Staff at universities, academic and general, don't tend to be well paid. Many do it because they love what they do, are proud of what their university can achieve, and want to contribute to making their city, region, country, planet better. They should be able to do this safely

[Jennifer Graham @refennij]

I was fortunate to work at a university. A university is like a small city. Undergraduates arrive brimming with enthusiasm for learning more in their chosen disciplines. Postgraduates delve deep into their topics, working towards a masters, doctoral, or post doctoral

[Jennifer Graham @refennij]

Universities are very special places. They are not targets. Researchers across the sciences, humanities, creative arts, social sciences, medical and health sciences work hard in their areas of expertise. What they do improves the lives of many people.

[Persian Girl @Persianserene1]

This is my beautiful country, Iran

These are not just Iran’s national treasures, they also belong to humanity, as they represent a 2,500 year old civilization

The sad reality is that many of these sites are being damaged in strikes by the US and Israel, which is heartbreaking…

[ICRC @ICRC]

One month of hostilities in the Middle East has upended the lives of millions and sent shockwaves far beyond the region at a scale and speed that threatens to overwhelm the humanitarian response.

The way hostilities have been waged has exacerbated the detrimental impact. Without respect for the rules of war, civilians will continue to suffer profound consequences that could outlast the current conflict.

At a time of escalating needs and tightening humanitarian budgets, the ICRC and other organizations are being forced to adapt to disrupted supply chains that are undermining their operations. Meanwhile, several countries already burdened by humanitarian crises must now also contend with rising fuel prices and increasing operational costs.

Read more 👉🏽 https://t.co/yTYN7c17Yf

[United Nations Geneva @UNGeneva]

"Whatever differences countries have, we can all agree they will not be solved by killing schoolchildren.

That is why we have the laws of war: to protect children and other civilians caught up in conflict, as well as schools and all civilian infrastructure." - @volker_turk

[United Nations Geneva @UNGeneva]

Let's repeat this again:

Babies are #NotATarget.
Schools are #NotATarget.
Children are #NotATarget.
Civilians are #NotATarget.
Hospitals are #NotATarget.
Humanitarians are #NotATarget.
Healthcare workers are #NotATarget.

[Al Jazeera English @AJEnglish]

Since the US-Israel war on Iran began, Israel has closed the Rafah crossing and all routes in and out of Gaza.

The shutdown halted medical evacuations, and the World Health Organization says at least 18,000 Palestinians are awaiting transfer.

Al Jazeera’s @Hind_Gaza reports.

[Prof Julia Steinberger @JKSteinberger]

Should be written in long(er) form, but who has time? Several points to decode our horrific time:
1. The destruction of Iran, Lebanon etc serves specific geopolitical interests: this is Netanyahu's great move to realise Greater Israel, or at the very least Israel as ...
1/

[Jennifer Graham @refennij]

Sri Lanka shows the world the meaning of honour, humanity and compassion

[Al Jazeera Breaking News @AJENews]

BREAKING: Sri Lanka has evacuated 208 crew members of an Iranian navy vessel, President Anura Kumara Dissanayake said, a day after a US submarine struck and sank another Iranian frigate.

🔴 LIVE updates: https://t.co/yULXmMBGTF

[Pedro Sánchez @sanchezcastejon]

The world, Europe, and Spain have faced this critical moment before. In 2003, a few irresponsible leaders dragged us into an illegal war in the Middle East that brought nothing but insecurity and pain.

Our response then must be our response now:

NO to violations of international law.

NO to the illusion that we can solve the world’s problems with bombs.

NO to repeating the mistakes of the past.

NO TO WAR.
https://t.co/KpRjBfwY4B

[cosmic jester @cosmicjester]

Giving Australia the credit for something done by New Zealand is actually the most Australian thing anyone can do

[120 Aotearoa 🇳🇿 @120Aotearoa]

BREAKING

Party Vote | Taxpayers Union-Curia.

Labour: 34.4% (+0.3)
National: 28.4% (-2.9)
Greens: 10.5% (+0.2)
NZF: 9.7% (-0.8)
ACT: 7.5% (+0.8)
TPM: 3.2% (+0.3)

D: March 1-3 | R: 1,000

+/- February 2026

[Gita Rachel Mathew @gita_mathew]

Sri Lankans truly embody kindness at its finest. Time and again, they rise selflessly to help anyone in need, no matter the circumstances. ♥️🙏🏽🇱🇰 Truly blessed to witness such humanity.

Galle community steps in to support rescued Iranian sailors.
Essential supplies including clothing, food and other necessities were quickly provided to Iranian sailors receiving treatment at the Galle National Hospital after being rescued by the Sri Lanka Navy from the distressed Iranian vessel off Galle. The assistance was organised by the Galle Cancer Society together with local residents. @NewsWireLK

[Peter Girnus 🦅 @gothburz]

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."

[Jennifer Graham @refennij]

What a terrible day for these poor families. This is a war crime

[Faizan @faizannriaz]

Grieving mothers in Iran hold the books of their daughters after a US–Israel strike destroyed a girls school. Fifty-seven young students dead.

Where are the champions of human rights now? Where are the voices that speak endlessly about girls education? @Malala

[Helen Clark @HelenClarkNZ]

In absence of an imminent threat to security of US & Israel, the armed attacks on Iran are illegal under international law. The Iranian regime is a vicious theocracy which has caused huge trauma to its people. But that isn’t a reason for a breach of Iran’s sovereignty. @TheElders

[Jennifer Graham @refennij]

@CarlBovisNature Sparrow

[Jennifer Graham @refennij]

@Sofia_5070tg I did a double take when saw this as I have 2 like that, a tabby and a tortoiseshell, but plumper. Feed them and you will be amazed how beautiful they turn out