Iran to ICRC: US-Israeli strikes amount to war crimes
Deputy FM says int’l humanitarian law exists ‘in name only’
Iran’s deputy foreign minister for legal and international affairs told the head of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) on Wednesday that US and Israeli military actions against Iran constitute war crimes and crimes against humanity, including attacks on civilian structures.
Kazem Gharibabadi met with ICRC President Mirjana Spoljaric in Tehran, where he detailed “130,000 civilian, residential, hospital, school and infrastructure targets” which were hit by US and Israeli militaries during the recent aggressions against Iran. He cited specifically a deadly attack on the Minab school in southern Iran, which he said was carried out intentionally.
At least 167 people, most of the students, were killed in the missile attack on the Minab school.
“If these actions represent the civilization the West and the US champion and seek to impose on other nations under the guise of democracy, human rights and their own way of life, then the people of the world reject that civilization,” Gharibabadi said.
He added that international law and international humanitarian law “exist in name only,” accusing aggressors of disregarding them entirely. He also criticized international bodies for failing to respond adequately or condemn the unlawful aggression and war crimes committed by the US and Israel against Iran.
Gharibabadi further said that some regional countries had supported military aggression against Iran by providing territory, facilities and military assets. “With these documented forms of support, certain neighboring states cannot be considered neutral,” he said. “Legally, they are part of this aggression, and Iran was left with no choice but to respond proportionally to deter and repel attacks originating from those countries.”
Spoljarik, who arrived in Tehran to meet with Iranian officials, emphasized the need for all parties to respect international humanitarian law in armed conflicts. She expressed hope that continued diplomacy and talks could lead to an end to hostilities and bring peace and stability to the region.
Accompanied by Iran’s head of the Iranian Red Crescent Society Pirhossein Kolivand, she also visited several sites in the capital Tehran, where severely targeted by the US and Israeli militaries during the recent aggression.
Earlier on the day, she also held a separate meeting with Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi.
During the recent aggression, the US and the Israeli regime intentionally targeted Iran’s infrastructure, nuclear sites, hospitals, schools, scientific centers and many other civilian structures.