More than 1,300 civilians have been killed and 9,669 civilian buildings destroyed in Iran in military attacks launched by the United States of America and Israel since February 28, said Amir Saeid Iravani, Iran’s ambassador and permanent representative to the United Nations, reports Xinhua.
Civil facilities include 7,943 residential houses, 1,617 commercial and service centers, 32 medical and pharmaceutical facilities, 65 schools and educational institutions, 13 Red Crescent buildings and several energy supply facilities, Iravani told reporters.
“They are deliberately and indiscriminately targeting civilians and civilian infrastructure throughout my country. They show no respect for international law or restraint in committing these crimes,” he said.
“Densely populated residential areas and critical civilian infrastructure are being deliberately targeted,” he said, adding that the numbers continue to rise as US-Israeli military strikes continue.
Iravani cited several cases in which civilian targets were attacked, including heavy attacks on fuel depots in Tehran and other cities on Saturday night, releasing large amounts of dangerous and toxic pollutants into the atmosphere.
The explosions caused severe air pollution and serious health risks for civilians, especially children, women, the elderly and those with critical medical conditions, he said, citing the Iranian Red Crescent Society.
“These heinous attacks also violate international environmental obligations, including those under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change and the Convention on Biological Diversity,” he said.
Iravani noted that other cases included attacks on Tehran’s Mehrabad airport early Saturday morning, destroying or severely damaging several civilian planes and airport facilities, and attacks on a water desalination plant on Qeshm Island in Hormozgan province, disrupting water supplies to 30 villages.
He also said that in the early hours of Sunday morning, Israel carried out a “deliberate terrorist attack” on the Ramada Hotel in Beirut, Lebanon, killing four Iranian diplomats.
“The targeted killing of a diplomat on the territory of another sovereign state is a serious terrorist act, a war crime and a flagrant violation of international law. The international community must act now to stop this bloody war against the Iranian people. We will take all necessary measures to defend our people, our territory and our independence,” said Iravani.
