🌍 US strikes on civilians constitute grave breach of international law: Iran’s human rights body 📌 T...

🌍 US strikes on civilians constitute grave breach of international law: Iran’s human rights body 📌 Tehran, IRNA – Iran’s High Council for Human Rights has strongly condemned recent US military attacks on the country, saying the strikes killed and injured civilians, including women and children, and constituted a grave violation of the right to life, international humanitarian law, and states’ obligations to protect civilians. In a statement released on Tuesday, the council said the attacks, particularly those targeting the southern provinces of Khuzestan, Bushehr, Hormozgan, and Sistan and Baluchestan, resulted in civilian casualties and engaged the international responsibility of the United States for the consequences of its actions. ​ According to the statement, official figures released by Iran’s Ministry of Health, Treatment and Medical Education as of July 19 show that 50 people were killed and more than 517 others injured in the US attacks. ​ “The victims include 5 women and 2 children under the age of 18, while the injured include 35 women and 19 children under the age of 18. 33 of the injured remain hospitalized in medical centers,” it said. ​ The statement also referred to an announcement by Hormozgan University of Medical Sciences, which said the death toll from a US strike on bridges in Bandar Khamir County had risen to seven, with medical treatment for the injured still ongoing. ​ “The attacks that have resulted in the deaths and injuries of ordinary civilians, including women and children, constitute a gross violation of the right to life, the fundamental principles of international humanitarian law, and the international obligations of States to protect civilians. They also give rise to the international responsibility of the United States of America for the consequences of these actions,” the statement said. ​ It added that the official casualty figures clearly demonstrate that the victims were not solely military targets but also included women, children, and other ordinary citizens. ​ Many of those affected were residents of Iran’s southern provinces whose livelihoods depend on the sea, fishing, ports, and maritime trade and who had already endured years of economic hardship due to what the statement described as unilateral and illegal sanctions. ​ The statement stressed that “the right to life is the most fundamental human right and the cornerstone of all fundamental human rights and freedoms,” noting that it is recognized under Article 3 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and Article 6 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights. ​ It also condemned the silence and double standards of some governments and institutions that claim to defend human rights but have failed to respond effectively and proportionately to the killing of civilians and attacks on civilian infrastructure. 📲 ​