2 March 2026. This latest armed conflict, which began at a time when Iran and the US were engaged in negotiations concerning Iran’s nuclear programme, has already resulted in significant losses of civilian lives and destruction of civilian infrastructure. FIDH urges in the strongest terms all parties to immediately cease hostilities, to prioritise civilian protection, and submit to independent international investigations into alleged violations.
"The US’ and Israel’s actions yet again violate both international law relative to legitimate self-defence and international humanitarian law. These actions have only served to further destabilise the region, at great cost for civilian life and infrastructure, and must be condemned in unequivocal terms," said FIDH President Alexis Deswaef. "Retaliatory attacks by Iran targeting civilian infrastructure also violate international humanitarian law and must be unequivocally condemned," he added.
As FIDH argued in June 2025, Article 51 of the UN Charter, International Court of Justice (ICJ) jurisprudence and customary international law only permit the use of force in self-defence in response to an actual armed attack. Moreover, international humanitarian law dictates that, even when the use of force is permissible, military action must respect the principles of necessity, proportionality and distinction between military and civilian targets. At least 175 people, including a majority of children, have been killed in a strike on a girls’ elementary school in Minab, Southern Iran. Reports indicate that hundreds of civilians have also been killed in various Iranian cities, including in attacks on hospitals. Meanwhile, retaliatory strikes by Iran have targeted not only US military bases in the region, but also hotels and apartment buildings in Bahrain, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates and Kuwait.
All alleged violations —including indiscriminate or disproportionate attacks, deliberate targeting of civilians or civilian infrastructure, and attacks on medical facilities and schools— must be promptly, independently, and transparently investigated. Where evidence of war crimes or other serious violations is found, those responsible, regardless of rank or official capacity, must be held accountable in accordance with international law.
"Foreign interference or military action cannot address decades of serious and systematic human rights violations —many amounting to the most serious international crimes— committed by the Iranian authorities. Democratic transition in Iran must be underpinned by respect for human rights and a broad-based transitional justice process, not more conflict and human rights violations, and certainly not through acts of aggression against Iran. International law should be at the core of state practice," said President of the League for the Defence of Human Rights in Iran (LDDHI) and FIDH Honorary President Karim Lahidji.
FIDH calls on United Nations (UN) Member States, including the UN Security Council, the UN General Assembly —invoking the Uniting for Peace resolution— and relevant UN human rights mechanisms, including the Fact-Finding Mission for Iran, to ensure civilian protection, independent investigations, preservation of evidence, and pathways to justice. A democratic transition in Iran must be supported through lawful and multilateral means.