Paris, 18 June 2025. On the night between 12 and 13 June 2025, Israel launched a wide-scale surprise and unprovoked military offensive hitting over 100 targets in Iran, including alleged nuclear facilities and military sites. The strikes reportedly hit dozens of nuclear sites, killing high-ranking military commanders, senior political figures, and at least nine nuclear scientists, with the latter number rising to at least 14 in subsequent days. A number of family members of some of the nuclear scientists and other civilian people living in their proximity were also killed in the attacks.
In retaliation, beginning on 13 June, Iran launched a series of missile and drone attacks on Israel’s territory, which have continued since, while Israel has continued to launch missiles on Iran, including on a hospital on Monday, 16 June 2025, and carrying out hundreds of air attacks by advanced F35 and F16 jets. According to Iranian authorities, as of 17 June, at least 224 people have been killed in Iran as a result of Israel’s aggression. Many were civilians, including at least 20 children, according to FIDH member organization LDDHI. Israeli authorities reported that 24 people were killed inside Israel, including at least four Palestinian citizens of Israel from the town of Tamra. Both governments have publicly vowed to intensify their attacks, despite urgent international appeals for de-escalation and an immediate halt to the deliberate targeting of civilians and other protected persons under international law.
Unfortunately, this escalation is also overshadowing Israel’s continued international crimes, including genocide, starvation and the bombardment of civilian infrastructure, including schools used as shelters, hospitals and businesses, in the Gaza Strip. Meanwhile, settlers continue to rampage through and attack Palestinian communities, and the vast majority of the West Bank has been placed under closure, where movement between cities and towns is almost nonexistent.
FIDH and LDDHI deplore the loss of life in both Iran and Israel, and remind leaders in both countries that international humanitarian law strictly prohibits the intentional targeting of civilians and civilian infrastructure. We further call on the authorities of both countries to immediately de-escalate the conflict and to begin negotiations for a ceasefire. We urge the international community, particularly members of the UN Security Council (UNSC) and UN General Assembly (UNGA), to act with principled determination—by demanding an immediate cessation of hostilities, supporting independent investigations into all violations, and enforcing international legal obligations – and to refrain from any actions that will further escalate the situation, such as entering the conflict as has been threatened by US President Donald Trump. Israel’s long-standing impunity, enabled by inaction by the international community and political shielding by its allies, must be confronted decisively before this crisis escalates beyond control and the entire region is engulfed in irreversible and large-scale violence.
Challenging Israel’s preemptive self-defense argument
Israel’s invocation of the so-called "right to preemptive self-defense" must be unequivocally rejected. Under Article 51 of the UN Charter, the use of force in self-defense is only permitted in response to an actual armed attack—not based on conjecture or presumed threats. This principle is reinforced by customary international law and confirmed by International Court of Justice (ICJ) jurisprudence, including the Nicaragua v. United States case. Furthermore, under international humanitarian law (IHL), even when the use of force is permissible, all military action must respect the principles of necessity, proportionality, and distinction between military and civilian targets. The scale and nature of Israel’s attacks on Iran, including strikes on civilian areas and medical infrastructure, violate these core principles and cannot be justified as lawful self-defense.
Iran’s nuclear program is already under international oversight
Claims regarding Iran’s alleged nuclear weapons program, which Israel cited to justify its aggression, must be addressed through the existing multilateral mechanisms designed for precisely such concerns. Iran remains a party to the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT), and its nuclear facilities are subject to ongoing inspections by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), which reports regularly to the UNSC and UNGA. The use of force outside this established framework is not only unlawful but erodes trust in the international non-proliferation regime. If Israel or any other state has credible evidence of non-compliance, they should submit it to the IAEA or the UNSC for assessment—not used to justify unilateral military action. Furthermore, Israel is not a party to the NPT and is itself in possession of a large arsenal of nuclear weapons. Countries in the region should not be allowed to develop nuclear weapons given the contested realities and the anticipated violations in the region.
Call for action by the UN Security Council and General Assembly
FIDH urges the UNSC to fulfill its mandate to maintain international peace and security by urgently convening to condemn Israel’s unlawful use of force, impose an arms embargo, and mandate an independent international investigation into violations of international law by all parties. In the event of a deadlock caused by the use of veto power, the UNGA should invoke the "Uniting for Peace" resolution to assume its subsidiary responsibility. While the UNGA cannot refer situations to the International Criminal Court (ICC), it can request an advisory opinion from the ICJ, establish independent investigative bodies, and recommend sanctions or other collective measures to Member States. The time for principled, coordinated international action is now—before this escalation engulfs the wider region in irreversible catastrophe.