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• 'There is no imminent attack, there is no imminent threat, so Israel's attack against Iran is illegal and must be condemned by every government,' says Humza Yousaf
• 'Why on earth are they putting a protest group on a terrorist list when they're not putting Benjamin Netanyahu, who's wanted by the International Criminal Court? Why is he not on the terrorist list?' says Yousaf

LONDON

A former first minister of Scotland denounced Israeli strikes on Iran as illegal and hypocritical, contrasting Western support for Israel’s “self-defense” with the denial of Iran’s right to respond to aggression.

In an interview with Anadolu, Humza Yousaf reacted to the hostilities that broke out on June 13 when Israel launched airstrikes on several sites across Iran, including military and nuclear facilities, prompting Tehran to launch retaliatory strikes.

"Once again, we see the hypocrisy of particularly Western governments when they talk about Israel's right to self-defense, but what about Iran's right to self-defense when Iran was attacked?" he said.

While noting that Iran must do more and has to comply with the International Atomic Energy Agency’s (IAEA) inspection regime, Yousaf said there is no credible evidence that it is developing a nuclear weapon, according to the IAEA.

"So there is no imminent attack, there is no imminent threat, so Israel's attack against Iran is illegal and must be condemned by every government," he added.

Yousaf also criticized the UK's continued arms exports to Israel, labeling it "completely outrageous."

"The arms are still being sold to Israel, a government that's headed by a man that's wanted by the International Criminal Court," he underscored, noting that one day, all of those who are complicit "will have to be held to account."

Responding to a question about recent media reports suggesting that Palestine Action, a UK-based pro-Palestinian protest group, will be banned, he said this is "shameful."

"Why on earth are they putting a protest group on a terrorist list when they're not putting (Israeli Prime Minister) Benjamin Netanyahu, who's wanted by the International Criminal Court? Why is he not on the terrorist list?"

For Yousaf, this is another demonstration of the "double standard and the hypocrisy" of the UK government.

According to media reports on Friday, the government will move to ban the Palestine Action group in the coming weeks, effectively branding them as a terrorist organization.

It came after activists broke into RAF Brize Norton in Oxfordshire and damaged two aircraft early Friday in protest against the UK's support for Israel and its attacks on the Gaza Strip.

Following the break-in, the group said British planes “depart daily from the base to RAF Akrotiri” in the Greek Cypriot Administration and from there “collect intelligence, refuel fighter jets and transport weapons to commit genocide in Gaza."

Palestine Action is known for its actions against arms factories across the UK that supply military equipment to Israel, particularly since Israel’s sustained offensive began in October 2023.

The Israeli army, rejecting international calls for a ceasefire, has pursued a brutal offensive against Gaza since October 2023, killing nearly 56,000 Palestinians, most of them women and children.

Last November, the International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants for Netanyahu and his former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant for war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza.

Israel also faces a genocide case at the International Court of Justice for its war on the enclave.