The Cairo Institute for Human Rights Studies (CIHRS) calls on the United Nations to urgently lead a comprehensive peace and security initiative to prevent further escalation between Israel and Iran, and to address the structural causes of regional instability. This requires:
- Immediately ending Israel’s illegal occupation of Palestinian, Lebanese, and Syrian territories, together with measures addressing Israel’s repeated acts of military aggression.
- Ending Iran’s military expansionism in the region through its proxy militant groups in Lebanon, Syria, Iraq, and Yemen. Iran should also withdraw from the three Emirati islands it occupies.
- Prioritizing nuclear disarmament and full, transparent compliance with the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty by Israel, Iran, and all countries in the region.
Any successful initiative must be anchored in a rules-based international order and consistently uphold human rights and humanitarian law. UN efforts must not be obstructed by veto powers; particularly those of the United States, Russia, and China, which have repeatedly undermined accountability and international security while blocking effective action on grave human rights violations in the region and the world.
The recent military escalation between Israel and the Islamic Republic of Iran has already killed hundreds of civilians and injured many more, and destroyed critical infrastructure. The risk of further strikes—and of spillover across borders—grows by the day. CIHRS warns that the continued use of force by both sides cannot be justified as lawful self-defense, including Israel’s crime of aggression on Iran on 12–13 June, which disrupted U.S.–Iran nuclear talks. These acts violate international law and may constitute war crimes.
As hostilities between Israel and Iran escalate, Israel’s ongoing genocide in Gaza continues, including mass killings, mass starvation, and the denial of humanitarian aid. The humanitarian crisis in Gaza, among the worst in recent history, is only worsening under chronic international inaction. In the West Bank, the expansion of illegal settlements amid intensifying settler violence continues with impunity. These latest developments must be understood in the context of decades of Israeli apartheid and occupation, which have served to entrench the systematic oppression of Palestinians in Gaza and the West Bank.
Iran’s pursuit of regional dominance has likewise devastated hopes for peace and democracy in the Arab region. In Syria, its support for the Assad regime enabled mass atrocities and the forced displacement of millions of Syrians and Palestinians.
The Middle East and North Africa region cannot afford another failure to act. CIHRS rejects any foreign intervention seeking regime change by military force while reaffirming its support for the democratic aspirations of peoples in Iran and across the region. The UN must lead this process with urgency, clarity, and independence – upholding human rights for all – if there is to be any hope of averting a widening and uncontained conflict with assuredly devastating consequences.
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