UN experts condemn US and Israeli strikes on Iran as violations of international law

The UN experts emphasized that the unprovoked attacks were carried out amid ongoing diplomatic negotiations and without authorization from the Security Council. Such actions, they noted, violate the fundamental prohibition on the use of force, sovereign equality, and territorial integrity under Article 2 of the UN Charter. The probe also expressed concern over Iran’s retaliatory strikes across the Gulf, reminding all parties that any use of force in self-defense must remain necessary and proportional.

Devastating civilian impact and targeting of schools

The humanitarian cost of the escalation has drawn particular alarm from the international community. UN investigators expressed "deep shock" over a strike that hit the Shajareh Tayyebeh girls' primary school in Minab, Hormozgan Province. Reports indicate that more than 160 schoolgirls, aged seven to 12, were killed in the attack.

"These attacks do not strike military abstractions – they strike people," the experts stated, pointing to additional reports of strikes on densely populated areas and medical institutions, including the Iranian Red Crescent and Tehran’s Gandhi and Khatam al-Anbia hospitals. Such targeting of educational and medical facilities constitutes a severe breach of international humanitarian law.

A call for diplomatic resolution

The Fact-Finding Mission also addressed the political dimension of the conflict, stating that the killing of dozens of Iranian officials, including Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, is not an acceptable means of delivering justice under international law. They described calls for Iranians to seize control of their government during such strikes as "reckless" and a threat to civilian lives.

"We cannot pick and choose when international law applies," the experts concluded, calling for an immediate cessation of hostilities and a return to diplomatic dialogue. They stressed that any viable path forward must be grounded in the rule of law, the will of the Iranian people, and full accountability for violations committed by all parties, without external interference.

UN experts condemn US and Israeli strikes on Iran as violations of international law

An independent United Nations Fact-Finding Mission and a panel of human rights experts have issued a stinging condemnation of the military campaign launched by the United States and Israel against Iran. In a statement released on Wednesday, the investigators characterized the strikes as grave violations of the UN Charter and international law.

The UN experts emphasized that the unprovoked attacks were carried out amid ongoing diplomatic negotiations and without authorization from the Security Council. Such actions, they noted, violate the fundamental prohibition on the use of force, sovereign equality, and territorial integrity under Article 2 of the UN Charter. The probe also expressed concern over Iran’s retaliatory strikes across the Gulf, reminding all parties that any use of force in self-defense must remain necessary and proportional.

Devastating civilian impact and targeting of schools

The humanitarian cost of the escalation has drawn particular alarm from the international community. UN investigators expressed "deep shock" over a strike that hit the Shajareh Tayyebeh girls' primary school in Minab, Hormozgan Province. Reports indicate that more than 160 schoolgirls, aged seven to 12, were killed in the attack.

"These attacks do not strike military abstractions – they strike people," the experts stated, pointing to additional reports of strikes on densely populated areas and medical institutions, including the Iranian Red Crescent and Tehran’s Gandhi and Khatam al-Anbia hospitals. Such targeting of educational and medical facilities constitutes a severe breach of international humanitarian law.

A call for diplomatic resolution

The Fact-Finding Mission also addressed the political dimension of the conflict, stating that the killing of dozens of Iranian officials, including Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, is not an acceptable means of delivering justice under international law. They described calls for Iranians to seize control of their government during such strikes as "reckless" and a threat to civilian lives.

"We cannot pick and choose when international law applies," the experts concluded, calling for an immediate cessation of hostilities and a return to diplomatic dialogue. They stressed that any viable path forward must be grounded in the rule of law, the will of the Iranian people, and full accountability for violations committed by all parties, without external interference.

An independent United Nations Fact-Finding Mission and a panel of human rights experts have issued a stinging condemnation of the military campaign launched by the United States and Israel against Iran. In a statement released on Wednesday, the investigators characterized the strikes as grave violations of the UN Charter and international law.