Geneva: Gulf states has warned the UN Human Rights Council that Iranian strikes represent an existential threat, as they condemned attacks on their infrastructure that the UN rights chief flagged as potential war crimes.
Gulf Arab nations told the 47-member council they face unprecedented danger from nearly month-long Iranian drone and missile retaliation against energy and civilian targets, as reported by The Economic Times.
This escalation stems from the ongoing US-Israeli war on Iran, which has killed over 1,500 Iranian civilians and prompted strikes across Gulf countries, resulting in civilian deaths and surging oil prices.
Kuwait’s ambassador, Naser Abdullah H. M. Alhayen, captured the stakes during Wednesday’s session: “We are seeing an existential threat to international and regional security. This aggressive approach is undermining international law and sovereignty.”
Other Gulf countries joined in, branding the strikes as calculated to sow terror, and they support a pending council vote on a motion to denounce Iran, seek reparations, and direct the UN rights chief to track developments.
Iran mounted a robust defense, with its Geneva ambassador, Ali Bahreini, asserting: “We fight on behalf of all of you against an enemy that, if not restrained today, will be beyond containment tomorrow.”
He referenced Israel amid the US-Israeli campaign. Tehran has separately requested an emergency session on Friday to address a deadly strike on a primary school.
UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Turk implored all parties to halt the conflict, deeming it “extremely dangerous and unpredictable.”
He stressed its global ripple effects: “This conflict has an unprecedented power to ensnare countries across borders and around the world,” he said. Turk was unequivocal on civilian impacts, saying: “Attacks on civilians and civilian infrastructure must end. If they are deliberate, such attacks may constitute war crimes.”
