IRAN DEFIANT AT UN, SAYS IT WON’T BOW TO ‘LAWLESS AGGRESSION’

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By ‘Sefiu Ajape

Iran has declared at the United Nations that it will not submit to “lawless aggression,” warning that its 90 million citizens are in “grave danger” following ongoing strikes by the United States and Israel.

Speaking at the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva, Iran’s ambassador, Ali Bahreini, criticised the military actions against his country and urged the international community to focus on what he described as unlawful aggression rather than Iran’s internal affairs.

He said the attacks were “carried out by some of the most lawless and unscrupulous actors on the international stage.”

“The most urgent and fundamental human rights issue concerning Iran is the imminent threat to the lives of 90 million people whose lives are in immediate and grave danger under the shadow of reckless military aggression,” Bahreini told the council.

He warned that if such “reckless militarism” is ignored, “Iran will most certainly not be the last country to suffer such treatment.”

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The conflict escalated on February 28 after the United States and Israel launched coordinated strikes on Iran, prompting retaliatory attacks by Tehran on targets across parts of the Middle East.

During the session, Bahreini urged the UN body to shift its attention to what he described as attacks on Iran’s cultural heritage and civilians, including “the innocent children massacred at their school desks.”

Iran has accused the United States and Israel of carrying out a missile strike on a school in the southern city of Minab, an incident Washington says it is investigating.

According to the ambassador, more than 1,300 people have been killed and over 7,000 injured since the strikes began.

“Under such circumstances, what exactly is Iran expected to do?” He asked, adding, “Iran is not a nation that submits to coercion, intimidation or lawless aggression.”

Calls for negotiations

Meanwhile, the six Gulf Cooperation Council countries, alongside Jordan, condemned Iran’s retaliatory attacks on their territories, stating that they endangered civilians and regional security and “cannot be justified under any pretext.”

The United States and Israel have since withdrawn from participation in the Human Rights Council.

Russia criticised Washington and Tel Aviv for “seeking to destroy this dissenting country” and called for an end to their “aggressive actions.”

China expressed that it was “gravely concerned” about the strikes, condemning attacks on civilians and urging all parties to “cease military operations immediately and return to dialogue.”

Britain called for a “swift return to security and stability” and warned that Tehran must not “exploit conflict to inflict further violence on its people.”

France also emphasised the need for diplomacy, stating that a lasting solution was required “to end the war and for Iran to stop being a threat to its neighbours and the entire international community.”

Massive crackdown fears

During the session, UN Special Rapporteur Mai Sato warned that the US-Israeli strikes “remain unlawful, no matter the assumed or stated objectives.”

She highlighted concerns over Iran’s response to protests that began on December 28, noting that “over 7,000 deaths have been reported by civil society” in what she described as a long-standing “pattern of persecution.”

“No one should have died for expressing grievances with the state,” she said.

Sato further warned that repression in Iran could worsen if the conflict weakens the government, stating that she could foresee “a very big crackdown.”

She added that the war has “exacerbated” what was already a “critical human rights situation in the country” further deepened during the protests.