Iran Vows to Resist Unprovoked Attacks in Message to United Nations

Iran has reaffirmed its stance at the United Nations, vowing not to yield to "lawless aggression" and warning that its citizens are in "grave danger" due to US and Israeli strikes, with the country's ambassador to the UN in Geneva, Ali Bahreini, highlighting the imminent threat to the lives of 90 million people. He emphasized that this threat stems from "reckless military aggression" carried out by "lawless and unscrupulous actors" on the international stage.

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The ambassador's remarks came during a session at the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva, where countries were discussing Iran's human rights situation, particularly in the context of its recent crackdown on protesters. Bahreini stressed that the focus should instead be on the Middle East war and its implications for Iran.

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Bahreini cautioned that if "reckless militarism" is met with indifference, Iran will not be the last country to suffer such treatment, underscoring the need for the international community to address this issue. He also urged the UN's top rights body to discuss the Iranian cultural heritage under "indiscriminate" attack and the plight of "innocent children massacred at their school desks".

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The US and Israel launched their war on Iran on February 28, prompting the Islamic republic to retaliate against multiple countries in the Middle East. Iran has accused the United States and Israel of conducting a deadly missile attack on a school in the southern city of Minab, a claim that Washington is currently investigating.

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The incident has resulted in a significant number of casualties, with more than 1,300 people killed and over 7,000 injured in Iran since the US-Israeli strikes began, according to Bahreini. He posed a rhetorical question, asking what Iran is expected to do under such circumstances, and asserted that Iran is not a nation that submits to coercion, intimidation, or lawless aggression.

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The six Gulf Cooperation Council countries, plus Jordan, have condemned Iran's attacks on their territories, stating that these actions endanger regional security and civilian lives and cannot be justified under any pretext. This condemnation was expressed during the UN Human Rights Council's interactive dialogue with the council's special rapporteur on rights in Iran and its fact-finding mission on the country.

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Special rapporteur Mai Sato noted that Tehran's deadly crackdown on the nationwide protests, which began on December 28, has resulted in "over 7,000 deaths" reported by civil society, and that this crackdown follows a "pattern of persecution" that long predated the uprising. Sato expressed concern over the violation of medical neutrality, citing instances of hospitals being raided and wounded protesters being arrested from their beds.

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Sato further highlighted the assault and arrest of medical professionals, as well as a state directive instructing hospitals to provide information on injured protesters, resulting in a healthcare system where the injured feared seeking treatment more than the injuries themselves. She emphasized that the act of saving lives has been criminalized in this context.

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The special rapporteur stated that the US-Israeli strikes "remain unlawful, no matter the assumed or stated objectives of those strikes", and that her mandate exists to serve the people of Iran, regardless of whether the perpetrators are Iranian or foreign. She noted that the people harmed are the same, and that this is the primary concern.

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The Independent International Fact-Finding Mission on Iran has warned that the war in the Middle East is likely to result in worsening institutionalized domestic repression of Iranian citizens, a concern that underscores the need for continued international attention and action.