New York: The UN Secretary-General on Tuesday welcomed the ceasefire announcement between Iran and Israel, which was announced on social media overnight by US President Donald Trump. Before both sides had confirmed that a ceasefire was in place early Tuesday, both sides exchanged fire, with Tehran residents saying they had experienced a barrage of attacks.
According to United Nations, before leaving Washington for a NATO summit in Europe, President Trump expressed his frustration at the breaches of the fragile ceasefire agreement, urging Iran and Israel to observe the truce. In a social media post, UN chief António Guterres urged both countries to fully respect the ceasefire. Earlier, the head of the UN-backed nuclear watchdog urged Tehran to consider resuming cooperation with the international community to address concerns around its nuclear program. Director General Rafael Grossi of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) stated that resuming cooperation is key to a successful agreement.
In an online post, Mr. Grossi added that he had offered to meet Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi to work together, emphasizing that this step can lead to a diplomatic solution to the long-standing controversy over Iran’s nuclear program.
Meanwhile, the UN human rights office, OHCHR, insisted that a notorious Tehran prison known for holding dissidents should not be targeted, following a reported Israeli strike on the complex. OHCHR spokesperson Thameen Al-Kheetan told media in Geneva that Evin prison is not a military objective according to the laws of war, and targeting it constitutes a grave breach of international humanitarian law.
An updated casualty count from the Iranian authorities on Tuesday indicated that 610 people have been killed, including 49 women and 13 children since June 13. That number includes two pregnant women and one infant, along with 4,746 injured, including 185 women and 65 minors. Some 28 Israeli citizens have reportedly been killed by Iranian missile strikes to date.
Political prisoners, including journalists, are held at Evin prison. In response to the Israeli strike, Iran reportedly transferred all the inmates out of the prison to other facilities around the capital to repair the damage. A fragile ceasefire proposed by the United States seemed to take hold briefly on Tuesday morning before reports of further Iranian missile strikes on Israel, disputed by Tehran.
The conflict began with Israeli air attacks on June 13 and escalated over the weekend with US forces striking Iranian nuclear facilities. Hundreds of civilians have reportedly been killed in the Israeli airstrikes, while Iran’s retaliatory strikes killed close to 30 people in Israel.
Asked about signs of a crackdown on dissent by the Iranian authorities in the context of the Israeli and US military campaign against the country, the OHCHR spokesperson stressed the difficulty in verifying information coming from Iran, given the lack of access. He confirmed reports about Iranians being arrested for cyber activities and publishing content related to the Israeli attacks on Iran.
Mr. Al-Kheetan also mentioned reports of nine men having been executed in Iran since Israel attacked the country on June 13. He called on the Iranian authorities to respect the rights to freedom of expression and information at all times, insisting that journalists must be able to work without obstacles. Iranian citizens reportedly arrested and accused of espionage or collaboration with Israel must have their full rights in terms of legal procedures and a fair trial.
On Monday, independent human rights experts reiterated their concerns about Iran’s use of broadly defined national security offenses, some of which are punishable by death, in the context of recent reported executions on espionage charges. Last week, the UN deputy human rights chief, Nada Al-Nashif, informed the Human Rights Council that at least 975 people were executed in Iran last year, marking the highest number of reported executions since 2015.