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STORY: OHCHR / MIDDLE EAST CRISIS - ARABIC
TRT: 03:28
SOURCE: OHCHR
RESTRICTIONS: NONE
LANGUAGE: ARABIC / NATS
DATELINE: 03 MARCH 2026, GENEVA, SWITZERLAND
1. Wide shot, the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights headquarters
2. SOUNDBITE (English) Thameen Al-Kheetan, Spokesperson for the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR):
"The fear, the panic, the anxiety experienced by millions of people in the Middle East and beyond is palpable – and was entirely avoidable. The situation is worsening and widening by the hour, playing out our worst fears.
We are deeply shocked by the impacts of the widespread hostilities on civilians and civilian infrastructure since the conflict erupted on Saturday with Israel and the United States of America’s attacks on Iran, Iran’s response against States across the region, as well as Hezbollah’s subsequent entry into the conflict. So far, besides Iran and Israel, the hostilities have impacted 12 other States, destroying or damaging private homes, offices and businesses, airports, energy infrastructure, amongst other civilian infrastructure. In the single deadliest – and devastating – incident, dozens of girls were reportedly killed and injured when their primary school in Minab in the south of the country was struck. We call for a prompt, impartial and thorough investigation into the attack. The onus is on the forces that carried out the attack to investigate it. We call on them to make public the findings and ensure accountability and redress for victims. The Iranian military has responded to the U.S. and Israeli attacks, deploying hundreds of missiles and drones, among other weapons systems, against States across the region, killing civilians and causing damage to civilian infrastructure. In the central Israeli city of Beit Shemesh, nine people were killed when a missile struck a residential area. We are also gravely concerned by the escalation of hostilities in Lebanon after Hezbollah fired barrages of projectiles into Israel, and the heavy counterstrikes of Israel, including in Beirut. We urge both parties to immediately end this major escalation in violence and to return to the agreed ceasefire.
Attacks directed against civilians or civilian objects as well as indiscriminate attacks are serious violations of international humanitarian law and may amount to war crimes. Across Iran, we have grave concerns for the welfare of the population, given the Government’s record of cracking down with lethal force on broad scale against those who oppose their rule and new threats of senior officials against any expression of dissent. We also concerned that many Iranians are again unable to access the Internet, and hence have limited access to essential information, including that necessary to seek safety from the ongoing hostilities. We are also concerned for the welfare of hundreds of political prisoners that continue to be arbitrarily held in Iran. Every effort must be taken to ensure their protection, and we urge their prompt release. Human rights must not be instrumentalized or used as a bargaining chip by any State – we know from painful history what the results of the use of brute, external force can mean for human rights. Human rights need to be central to Iran’s future. We call on all parties to come to their senses, and to end this violence."
3. Wide shot, the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights headquarters
ARABIC TRANSLATION:
جنيف، 3 آذار/مارس
2026
إن الخوف والذعر والقلق الذي يشعر به الملايين في الشرق الأوسط وخارجه واضح للعيان – وكان من الممكن تجنبه تماماً. الوضع يزداد سوءاً ويتفاقم ساعة بعد ساعة، إذ تتحقق أسوأ مخاوفنا.
نشعر بصدمة عميقة إزاء آثار الأعمال العدائية الواسعة النطاق على المدنيين والبنية التحتية المدنية منذ اندلاع النزاع يوم السبت مع هجمات إسرائيل والولايات المتحدة الأمريكية على إيران، ورد إيران ضد دول في المنطقة، ودخول حزب الله لاحقاً في النزاع.
حتى الآن، بالإضافة إلى إيران وإسرائيل، طالت الأعمال العدائية اثنتي عشر دولة أخرى، فدمرت أو ألحقت أضراراً بمنازل ومكاتب وشركات ومطارات وبنية تحتية للطاقة، فضلاً عن بنى تحتية مدنية أخرى.
وفي الحادث الأكثر دموية وتدميراً، قُتلت وجُرحت عشرات الفتيات عندما قُصِفَت مدرستهن الابتدائية في ميناب، جنوبي البلاد. ندعو إلى إجراء تحقيق سريع ونزيه وشامل في الهجوم. مسؤولية التحقيق تقع على عاتق القوات التي نفذته. وندعوها إلى نشر نتائج التحقيق وضمان المساءلة والتعويض للضحايا.
الجيش الإيراني رد على الهجمات الأمريكية والإسرائيلية بنشر مئات الصواريخ والطائرات المسيرة، فضلاً عن أنظمة أسلحة أخرى، ضد دول في المنطقة، مما أسفر عن مقتل مدنيين وإلحاق أضرار بالبنية التحتية المدنية. وفي مدينة بيت شيمش بوسط إسرائيل، قُتل تسعة أشخاص عندما أصاب صاروخ منطقة سكنية.
نشعر كذلك بقلق بالغ إزاء تصعيد الأعمال العدائية في لبنان بعد أن أطلق حزب الله وابلاً من المقذوفات على إسرائيل، والضربات المضادة الشديدة التي شنتها إسرائيل، بما في ذلك في بيروت. نحث الطرفين على إنهاء هذا التصعيد الكبير للعنف على الفور والعودة إلى وقف إطلاق النار المتفق عليه.
الهجمات الموجهة ضد المدنيين أو الأعيان المدنية، وكذلك الهجمات العشوائية، هي انتهاكات جسيمة للقانون الدولي الإنساني، وقد ترقى إلى جرائم حرب.
في جميع أنحاء إيران، نحن قلقون للغاية على حال السكان، بالنظر إلى سجل الحكومة في قمع معارضي حكمها بقوة مميتة على نطاق واسع، والتهديدات الجديدة من كبار المسؤولين ضد أي تعبير عن المعارضة. نحن قلقون أيضاً من أن العديد من الإيرانيين ما زالوا غير قادرين على الوصول إلى الإنترنت، وبالتالي فإن حصولهم على المعلومات الأساسية محدود، بما في ذلك المعلومات اللازمة للبحث عن ملاذ آمن من الأعمال العدائية الجارية.
كما أننا قلقون على سلامة مئات السجناء السياسيين الذين ما زالوا محتجزين تعسفياً في إيران. يجب بذل كل جهد ممكن لضمان حمايتهم، ونحث على الإفراج عنهم على وجه السرعة.
حقوق الإنسان يجب ألا تُستغَل من قبل أي دولة أو تستخدم كورقة مساومة. فنحن نعلم من التاريخ المؤلم ما يمكن أن يعنيه استخدام القوة الخارجية الوحشية بالنسبة إلى حقوق الإنسان. يجب أن تكون حقوق الإنسان في صميم مستقبل إيران.
ندعو جميع الأطراف أن تعود إلى رشدها وتضع حداً لهذا العنف.
“The fear, the panic, the anxiety experienced by millions of people in the Middle East and beyond is palpable – and was entirely avoidable. The situation is worsening and widening by the hour, playing out our worst fears,” the UN Human rights spokesperson said.
In a recorded message, Thameen Al-Kheetan, Spokesperson for the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) said, "We are deeply shocked by the impacts of the widespread hostilities on civilians and civilian infrastructure since the conflict erupted on Saturday with Israel and the United States of America’s attacks on Iran, Iran’s response against States across the region, as well as Hezbollah’s subsequent entry into the conflict. So far, besides Iran and Israel, the hostilities have impacted 12 other States, destroying or damaging private homes, offices and businesses, airports, energy infrastructure, amongst other civilian infrastructure.
In the single deadliest – and devastating – incident, dozens of girls were reportedly killed and injured when their primary school in Minab in the south of the country was struck. We call for a prompt, impartial and thorough investigation into the attack. The onus is on the forces that carried out the attack to investigate it. We call on them to make public the findings and ensure accountability and redress for victims. The Iranian military has responded to the U.S. and Israeli attacks, deploying hundreds of missiles and drones, among other weapons systems, against States across the region, killing civilians and causing damage to civilian infrastructure. In the central Israeli city of Beit Shemesh, nine people were killed when a missile struck a residential area. We are also gravely concerned by the escalation of hostilities in Lebanon after Hezbollah fired barrages of projectiles into Israel, and the heavy counterstrikes of Israel, including in Beirut. We urge both parties to immediately end this major escalation in violence and to return to the agreed ceasefire.
Attacks directed against civilians or civilian objects as well as indiscriminate attacks are serious violations of international humanitarian law and may amount to war crimes. Across Iran, we have grave concerns for the welfare of the population, given the Government’s record of cracking down with lethal force on broad scale against those who oppose their rule and new threats of senior officials against any expression of dissent. We also concerned that many Iranians are again unable to access the Internet, and hence have limited access to essential information, including that necessary to seek safety from the ongoing hostilities. We are also concerned for the welfare of hundreds of political prisoners that continue to be arbitrarily held in Iran. Every effort must be taken to ensure their protection, and we urge their prompt release. Human rights must not be instrumentalized or used as a bargaining chip by any State – we know from painful history what the results of the use of brute, external force can mean for human rights. Human rights need to be central to Iran’s future. We call on all parties to come to their senses, and to end this violence."
