As missile exchanges between Israel and Iran raged into a sixth consecutive day on Wednesday, calls for an immediate ceasefire and diplomatic engagement echoed from the United Nations Human Rights Office.
Nada Al-Nashif, the UN Deputy High Commissioner for Human Rights, appealed to both governments to step back from the brink and resume dialogue. She described the ongoing strikes as alarming, with fears growing over the humanitarian toll and the impact on civilian infrastructure in urban areas.
“The UN human rights office urges de-escalation and urgent diplomatic negotiations to end these attacks and find a way forward,” said Al-Nashif in Geneva, where the UN Human Rights Council had convened to assess Iran’s human rights record.
“We are following closely and are aware of reports that many thousands of residents are fleeing parts of the capital, Tehran, as a result of warnings covering broad areas.”
Nada Al-Nashif
According to the latest figures from the region, more than 200 people in Iran and 24 in Israel have been reported dead since hostilities erupted late last week. Overnight, missile barrages and retaliatory strikes continued across several cities, fueling fears of a broader regional conflict.
Al-Nashif warned that residential neighborhoods had been impacted, highlighting the need to protect civilians.
“It is imperative that both sides fully respect international law, in particular by ensuring the protection of civilians in densely populated areas and of civilian objects. We urge all those with influence to engage in negotiation as a matter of priority.”
Nada Al-Nashif
Nuclear Sites Struck In Ongoing Conflict
The crisis took a further dangerous turn after the UN’s nuclear watchdog, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), confirmed significant damage to two Iranian nuclear facilities.
“The TESA Karaj workshop and the Tehran Research Centre, were hit,” the agency said in a formal update. “
At the Tehran site, one building was hit where advanced centrifuge rotors were manufactured and tested. At Karaj, two buildings were destroyed where different centrifuge components were manufactured.”
IAEA
While Israeli officials have not commented publicly, the attacks have raised alarm about the potential for radioactive contamination and the targeting of critical infrastructure.
Speaking moments after Al-Nashif, Iran’s Permanent Representative to the UN, Ambassador Ali Bahreini, denounced the Israeli military campaign.
“There has been no violation worse than the 13 June act of aggression against Iran,” he stated. He condemned what he called “continuous blind attacks on residential areas, bombardment of vital supplies, explosion of drinking water resources, and reckless strikes on nuclear facilities [that] are immediately impacting the civilians and people of Iran.”
Bahreini warned that the bombing of nuclear sites risked “a possible hazardous leak” and accused Israel of crimes against humanity. “This is not an act of war against our country, it is war against humanity,” he said.
The Iranian envoy also criticized the international community’s muted response, calling for immediate global accountability. “This impunity must come to [an] end,” he declared.
“Israel activities are not just against one or two countries. It is acting against all humanity and their actions target all human rights.”
Ambassador Ali Bahreini
Israel, which withdrew from the Human Rights Council earlier this year, has not issued a formal response to Bahreini’s accusations during the Geneva meeting.
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