Spokesperson for the UN High Commissioner
for Human Rights: Ravina Shamdasani
Location:
Geneva
Date: 3 March 2026
Subject: Middle East
crisis
The fear, the panic, the anxiety experienced by
millions of people in the Middle East and beyond is palpable
– and was entirely avoidable. The situation is worsening
and widening by the hour, playing out our worst
fears.
UN Human Rights Chief Volker Türk says he is
deeply shocked by the impacts of the widespread hostilities
on civilians and civilian infrastructure since the conflict
erupted on Saturday with Israel and the United States of
America’s attacks on Iran, Iran’s response against
States across the region, as well as Hezbollah’s
subsequent entry into the conflict.
The laws of war
are crystal clear. Civilians, and civilian objects are
protected. All States, and armed groups, must abide by these
laws.
The High Commissioner calls on all parties to
exercise maximum restraint, prevent further escalation, and
take all feasible measures to protect civilians, including
foreign nationals, as well as critical infrastructure.
Returning to the negotiating table is the one and only way
to bring an end to the killing, destruction and
despair.
So far, besides Iran and Israel, the
hostilities have impacted 12 other States, destroying or
damaging private homes, offices and businesses, airports,
energy infrastructure, amongst other civilian
infrastructure.
In Iran, the Iran Red Crescent Society
puts the death toll at 787. In the single deadliest – and
devastating – incident, dozens of girls were reportedly
killed and injured when their primary school in Minab in the
south of the country was struck during the school day. The
High Commissioner calls for a prompt, impartial and thorough
investigation into the circumstances of the attack. The onus
is on the forces that carried out the attack to investigate
it. We call on them to make public the findings and ensure
accountability and redress for victims.
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The Iranian
military has responded to the U.S. and Israeli attacks,
deploying hundreds of missiles and drones, among other
weapons systems, against States across the region, killing
civilians and causing damage to civilian infrastructure. In
the central Israeli city of Beit Shemesh, nine people were
killed when a missile struck a residential area.
We
are also gravely concerned by the escalation of hostilities
in Lebanon after Hezbollah fired barrages of projectiles
into Israel, and the heavy counterstrikes of Israel,
including in Beirut. We urge both parties to immediately end
this major escalation in violence and to return to the
agreed ceasefire.
Reports say there have been civilian
casualties and damage to civilian infrastructure, and
significant re-displacement as a result of the Israeli
strikes in the south of the country, and southern suburbs of
Beirut. Information received indicates that nearly 30,000
residents had fled the affected areas overnight, on top of
the already 64,000 already displaced.
International
humanitarian law spells out that any attack must comply with
the fundamental principles of distinction and
proportionality, and for precautions to be taken to protect
civilians. Attacks directed against civilians or civilian
objects as well as indiscriminate attacks are serious
violations of international humanitarian law, and may amount
to war crimes.
Across Iran, we have grave concerns for
the welfare of the population, given the Government’s
record of cracking down with lethal force on broad scale
against those who oppose their rule and new threats of
senior officials against any expression of dissent at this
time.
The authorities are reminded of their obligation
under international human rights law to safeguard
Iranians’ fundamental freedoms.
We also concerned
that many Iranians are again unable to access the Internet,
and hence have limited access to essential information,
including that necessary to seek safety from the ongoing
hostilities. We call for the immediate restoration of
telecommunications services.
We are also concerned for
the welfare of hundreds of political prisoners that continue
to be arbitrarily held in Iran. Every effort must be taken
to ensure their protection, and we urge their prompt
release.
Human rights must not be instrumentalized or
used as a bargaining chip by any State – we know from
painful history what the results of the use of brute,
external force can mean for human rights. Human rights need
to be central to Iran’s future.
The High
Commissioner implores all parties to come to their senses,
and to end this violence. He calls for States to uphold and
defend the UN Charter, international human rights law and
humanitarian
law.
