UN Rights Chief Calls for Restraint Amid Middle East Strikes

(MENAFN) The United Nations human rights chief condemned the recent strikes in the Middle East and urged all parties to return to negotiations, warning that the attacks would only bring "death, destruction and human misery," as stated by reports.

"I deplore the military strikes across Iran this morning by Israel and the United States of America, and the subsequent retaliatory strikes by Iran," Volker Turk said in a statement.

He emphasized that "As always, in any armed conflict, it is civilians who end up paying the ultimate price. Bombs and missiles are not the way to resolve differences but only result in death, destruction and human misery."

To prevent further harm to civilians, Turk called for restraint and urged all sides "to see reason, to de-escalate, and for a return to the negotiating table where they had been actively seeking a solution only hours earlier." He added that failing to act could lead to "an even wider conflict, that will inevitably lead to further senseless civilian deaths and destruction on a potentially unimaginable scale, not just in Iran but across the Middle East region."

According to reports, US and Iranian negotiators held indirect talks in Geneva on Thursday regarding Tehran’s nuclear program, mediated by Oman, near the offices of the UN in the Swiss city.

Turk stressed that the protection of civilians is paramount during armed conflicts and insisted that those violating the rules of war must be held accountable.

World Health Organization Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus expressed concern about the "grave risk to people's health" from the expanding conflict. "The threat of nuclear facilities being impacted is especially worrying," he said, urging that "All must be done to reduce any nuclear safety risk, which may affect people in the region." He added: "We urge leaders to choose the challenging path of dialogue over the senseless route of destruction."

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