Iran has formally presented the United Nations with a report detailing the civilian toll and damages from a 12-day Israeli-imposed war on its territory.

Why it matters:

The report marks Iran's official response to “unprovoked and unlawful military aggression” by Israel, elevating the issue to the UN Security Council and other top UN bodies. The unprecedented attack has left over a thousand civilians dead, including women and children, and risks further destabilizing the region.

What he's saying:

In a formal letter addressed to UN Secretary-General António Guterres, Security Council President Asim Iftikhar Ahmad, and Virginia Gamba, the UN Special Representative for Children and Armed Conflict, Iran’s permanent representative to the UN, Amir Saeed Iravani, denounced the attacks as “indiscriminate and illegal.”

He stated that the Israeli-imposed war, backed by the United States and some Western allies, resulted in the martyrdom of 1,100 innocent civilians, including 132 women and 45 children, and injured more than 5,700 others.

Iran's report urges the international community to uphold international law and end the impunity of those responsible. The letter explicitly calls for the distribution of this report as an official document of the UN Security Council and highlights violations of the UN Charter, international humanitarian law, and human rights treaties such as the Geneva Conventions and the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights.

Key points:

  • In the early hours of June 13, 2025, Israel, backed by U.S. and Western support, launched coordinated air, missile, and drone attacks on Iranian residential areas and peaceful nuclear sites.

  • The deaths of 1,100 civilians, including 132 women and 45 children, along with over 5,700 injuries, underscore the devastating human cost of the Israeli attacks, which deliberately targeted residential areas, hospitals, and peaceful nuclear sites.

Go deeper:

The Iranian letter follows an earlier communication dated June 28, 2025, and expands on the legal and humanitarian dimensions of the Israeli strikes. It warns that the June 22 follow-up attack by the United States has further aggravated the violations. The report stresses that the suffering of Iranian civilians, particularly women and children, is just a glimpse of the broader humanitarian impact and urges the UN to act decisively to uphold international norms and prevent future atrocities.

ahmad shirzadian