Iran Stands for A Future in Which No Child Is A Victim of War: Official
Zahra Behrouz Azar made the remark in an address to the second “Muslim Women” international webinar.
The World Forum for Proximity of Islamic Schools of Thought organized the international webinar on Sunday morning under the title “Where is the international law against the Zionist-American attack on civilians?”
Zahra Badreddin, teacher and researcher from Lebanon, Zahabiya Al-Fahim, researcher and teacher from Tunisia, Susan Al-Fadli, director of the Quranic Center from Yemen, Maryam Mabrouk, teacher and researcher from Lebanon, Nusrat Zahra Jafari, director of Al-Zahra Seminary from Pakistan, Tahereh Mohaqeq, seminary and university professor from Afghanistan, Asmaa Kaliati, researcher and media activist from Turkey, and Sara Haider Al-Amir, cultural activist from Iraq were among other speakers at the online seminar.
Following is the text of Behrouz Azar’s speech:
In the Name of God
Today, I would like to talk about an incident that goes beyond one nation. In fact, it is a test of the international community's conscience and commitment to the fundamental principles of international law.
Military attacks against my homeland, Iran, commenced on February 28, 2026, and lasted for 40 days; a widespread military aggression against an ancient land with a millennia-old civilization and people known for being kind, noble, and resilient. Iranians are peace-loving people who have never started a war, but have always stood firm like a mountain, defending their identity and land against aggressors bravely and resolutely.
Iran is a society whose path of development is rooted in knowledge, education, and human participation. In areas such as vital infrastructure development, medicine, modern technology, and higher education, significant progress has been made, and women, along with men as the country's wings of development, have played a key role in this progress:
• 97 percent of women and girls are literate, and the gender gap in education has decreased to 3 percent
• Tens of thousands of women are engaged in higher education and research.
• The widespread participation of women in medical, scientific, and social fields is an inseparable part of the country's development.
About two months ago, while diplomacy was still in progress, the United States of America and the Israeli regime blatantly violated the United Nations Charter and the fundamental principles of International Law. The fierce attacks, in the first hours, targeted the "Shajareh Tayyebeh" elementary school in Minab deliberately twice within minutes and killed 156 boys and girls. In many cases, identification of their bodies was possible only through a piece of clothing, the color of their socks, or DNA testing. Unfortunately, the body of "Makan Nasiri" was not found after 38 days, and his mother mourns over a grave with no body.
During this 40-day brutal aggression, according to official reports of the Ministry of Health, Treatment, and Medical Education, and the Red Crescent Society:
• Over 3,380 civilians have lost their lives (over 386 children and 258 women)
• Over 30,000 civilians were injured (5,200 women and children)
• Over 1025 educational centers have been destroyed or damaged (over 30 universities have been targeted directly)
• Over 340 hospitals, medical centers, emergency bases, and Red Crescent centers have been targeted.
• 26 medical staff have been killed, and more than 120 have been injured
• On a wider scale, over 138,000 civilian units have been damaged (more than 113,000 residential units, meaning tens of thousands of families have lost their houses.
In addition, civilian aircraft carrying medicine on humanitarian missions have been attacked. The "Tofiq Darou" pharmaceutical factory, a key producer of active pharmaceutical ingredients, notably for cancer and multiple sclerosis (MS) patients, has also been targeted.
Multiple articles of the 1949 Geneva Conventions, the Fourth Convention, and the First Additional Protocol were violated, and the sacred land of the Islamic Republic of Iran was attacked militarily.
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The jus cogens, erga omnes, the principle of distinction between civilians and military objectives, the principle of proportionality (in preventing unnecessary and disproportionate collateral damage), and the principle of precautions in attack (in taking necessary measures to protect civilians) have been deliberately and systematically violated. The civilian population, residential areas, hospitals, educational, medical, and cultural centers, commercial units, holy sites of Muslims and Christians, Nuclear facilities, fuel and water reservoirs, historic buildings, wheat silos, as well as vital infrastructure of the country, such as railways, bridges, and power plants, have been targeted.
These aggressions, which occurred during the holy month of Ramadan and on the eve of the Iranian New Year, are in clear violation of the United Nations Charter, the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR), and the International Covenant on Economic, Social, and Cultural Rights (ICESCR). These covenants explicitly ensure the right to life, health, security, education, and the protection of women and children. What has happened is not only a blatant violation of international humanitarian law but also an epitome of war crimes and state terrorism.
The fundamental question is: what will the international community do about this situation? Will the principles of international law remain only in texts? Or will they also be applied in practice?
Ladies and Gentlemen,
Today, I kindly ask you to approach this matter not as a political issue but as a human one. Be the voice of the women and children who are not heard. Silence toward such events not only creates a regional crisis but also weakens the foundations of the international law system. The time has come for morality, justice, and humanity to stand united against these criminals. It is time for the world to prove that the voices of the innocent will not disappear in the clamor of power and politics.
We, as the nation of Iran, stand firm. We stand for justice, life, and a future in which no child is a victim of war. There can be no inaction. We cannot disregard these atrocities. Criminals cannot go unpunished. It is not a request; this is a call for immediate action by all mechanisms of international law, such as Human Rights, International Humanitarian Law, etc.
