UNHRC calls for an end to hostilities in the Middle East after US airstrikes on Iran

GENEVA, September 14 – RIA Novosti. Fighting in the Middle East must stop, countries are obliged to comply with international law to protect civilians, the UNHRC said after US strikes on Iran, where civilians were killed.

The Independent Fact-Finding Mission to Iran of the UN Human Rights Council indicated that despite US statements that its army does not target civilians in Iran, civilians continue to be killed.

“The mission once again calls on UN member states to take immediate diplomatic steps to end the military conflict, de-escalate tensions and resume constructive dialogue on issues of peace, human rights, justice and equal participation in political and public life,” the mission statement said.

The mission cited the example of the US airstrike on September 1, which destroyed a house in Hormozgan province where a wedding celebration was taking place. Iranian media reported the death of five people, including two children and a woman, and the wounding of dozens more. Also on July 30, another airstrike destroyed another residential building, reportedly killing a man, a woman and their two-year-old son and injuring their two other children, the mission said.

As mission member Max du Plessis noted, repeated airstrikes resulting in civilian casualties raise serious questions about whether all necessary measures are being taken to ensure that states comply with their obligations under international law, including taking all precautions to prevent civilian deaths.

“The mission calls on all parties to the ongoing regional conflict to strictly adhere to international law and cease hostilities,” the statement said.