“On February 28, the United States and Israel launched a devastating air campaign against Iran, apparently targeting military sites and nuclear facilities. In nearly three weeks, these attacks have led to increased reports of civilian casualties, including children.”said Sara Hossein, president of the Independent International Fact-Finding Mission on Iran.
The plight of the Iranian people
Presenting the mission’s latest report, Ms. Hossein highlighted the plight of ordinary Iranians “caught between a large-scale military campaign by two countries, the United States and Israel, and continued repression by his own government. in Iran.”
Residential areas, several oil depots and a desalination plant have been hit or destroyed, causing “serious damage” to civilians, he said.
The human rights expert also cited an airstrike that destroyed a school in Minab, southern Iran, on the first day of the war, killing more than 168 people, “the vast majority of them girl students, many of them as young as seven.”
He also expressed concern about “public statements by US officials suggesting that long-established rules of engagement do not apply in this conflict.”
Presenting the mission’s latest report to the Council, Ms. Hossein highlighted the current situation of ordinary Iranian people: “caught between a large-scale military campaign by two countries, the United States and Israel, and the ongoing repression by his own government in Iran.”.
Residential areas, multiple oil deposits and a desalination plant have been “hit, damaged and destroyed”, causing “serious harm” to civilians, insisted the independent human rights expert, who like all those appointed by the Council is not a UN staff member nor does she receive remuneration for her work.
US statements raise concern
The human rights expert also recalled how airstrikes destroyed a school in Minab, southern Iran, on the first day of the war. killing more than 168 people“The vast majority of them are girl students, many of them up to seven years old,” he said, while expressing concern about “public statements by US officials suggesting that long-established ‘rules of engagement’ do not apply in this conflict.”
In addition to the Minab school attack, 1,000 civilians were reported to have been killed “with hospitals and World Heritage sites destroyed”said the Council’s special rapporteur on Iran, Mai Sato.
“Attacks on oil infrastructure have caused toxic environmental consequences… in a country that was already experiencing severe water shortages,” he continued.
Echoing widespread concerns about the deteriorating humanitarian crisis inside Iran since the outbreak of war, the Special Rapporteur noted that Three million people are now displaced inside Iran.while “the alleged absence of functional air raid sirens and air raid shelters in many urban areas” increased concerns about basic civil protection during hostilities.
Iran says more than 1,300 dead
Responding to the independent experts’ reports to the Council, Iran’s ambassador to the UN in Geneva, Ali Bahraini, stated that more than 1,300 people had been killed and more than 7,000 injured, including a six-month-old baby. “The international community must not remain silent,” he insisted.
The war is now in its third week and has spread to nearly a dozen nations in the already fragile Middle East region.
Bahrain condemns Iranian attacks
Speaking on behalf of the Gulf Cooperation Council and Jordan, Ambassador Abdullah Abdulatif Abdullah of Bahrain condemned Iran’s attacks “against our countries, which have targeted civilians and critical civilian infrastructure and objects, endangering the lives of residents and the security of the region.
The ambassador also reiterated that the Gulf council had He welcomed the adoption of Security Council Resolution 2817, condemning Iran’s attacks on its neighbors on March 11, with the support of 136 UN Member States..
“Our countries reject the content of the reports of the Special Rapporteur and the Fact-Finding Mission, classifying these attacks as reprisal or reprisal attacks,” he said, insisting that “There is no legal justification for such attacks and no way to legitimize such illegal acts.”According to international law.
Also addressing the Council, the Philippines echoed the ASEAN regional group’s serious concerns over escalation in the Middle East.
“This spiral of armed conflict has already claimed many innocent lives, including those of children. This cannot and must not be normalized,” Member States heard.