Araghchi: Silence in the Face of Injustice Never Brings Security or Peace

According to the political service of SaedNews, Seyyed Abbas Araqchi, Iran’s Deputy Foreign Minister, delivered a speech at an emergency session of the UN Human Rights Council regarding the attack on Shajareh Tayebeh School in Minab. The text of his speech is as follows:

In the Name of God, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful

Honorable representatives, esteemed colleagues,

Today, Iran finds itself in the midst of an unlawful war imposed by two nuclear-armed aggressor states, namely the United States and Israel. This war of aggression is clearly unjustifiable and brutally merciless.

They launched this aggression on February 28, 2026, at a time when Iran and the United States were engaged in a diplomatic process to address America’s alleged concerns about Iran’s nuclear program. For the second time in nine months, they betrayed diplomacy by disrupting and sabotaging the negotiation table.

One of the most horrifying aspects of this aggression has been the calculated, step-by-step attack on the Shajareh Tayebeh elementary school in Minab, southern Iran, where more than 175 students and teachers were deliberately and ruthlessly massacred.

This brutal attack is merely the visible tip of a much larger iceberg—a mountain concealing far graver atrocities beneath the surface, including the normalization of the most egregious violations of human and humanitarian rights and the audacity to commit horrific crimes in an environment of complete impunity.

Mr. President,

Given that the American and Israeli aggressors, by their own claims, possess the most advanced military technologies and data systems, no one can believe that the attack on this school was anything other than deliberate and premeditated. Targeting Shajareh Tayebeh School constitutes a war crime and a crime against humanity, requiring clear and unconditional condemnation by all, as well as transparent accountability for the perpetrators.

This tragedy is neither justifiable nor concealable and must not be met with silence or indifference. The attack on Shajareh Tayebeh School in Minab was neither an accident nor a miscalculation. The United States’ contradictory statements attempting to justify this crime do not absolve them of responsibility.

Condemning such a ruthless attack on a purely civilian location, where the most innocent are present and seeking knowledge, is not merely a legal obligation under human rights frameworks; it is a moral and human imperative. Our conscience will judge us far more deeply than any court.

Honorable representatives,

Shajareh Tayebeh School is not the only victim of the horrific crimes of the United States and Israel during the past 27 days of this illegal war. International human rights and humanitarian law have been systematically and unprecedentedly violated by the aggressors. Without regard for the laws of war or fundamental principles of humanity, civilians and civilian infrastructure have been deliberately targeted.

Over six hundred schools across Iran have been destroyed or damaged, leaving more than a thousand students and teachers killed or injured. Aggressors who arrogantly proclaim “no mercy, no respite” and threaten Iran’s critical infrastructure have also targeted hospitals, ambulances, medical staff, Red Crescent aid workers, refineries, water resources, and residential areas.

The terms “war crime” and “crime against humanity” alone are insufficient to describe the severity of the atrocities they commit. The pattern of their targeting, coupled with their rhetoric, leaves little doubt that their intent is genocidal.

Esteemed colleagues,

This unjust and unilateral war by the United States and Israel against the noble Iranian people is a direct consequence of silence in the face of prior lawlessness and crimes in occupied Palestine, Lebanon, and elsewhere. Indifference and silence toward injustice never bring security or peace; they only lead to greater insecurity and widespread rights violations.

The United Nations, the fundamental values it represents, and the entire framework of human rights are at serious risk. All of you must explicitly condemn the aggressors and make clear that the international community and the collective conscience of humanity hold them accountable for the horrifying crimes committed against the Iranian people.

Iran has never sought war. Iranians are a peace-loving and honorable nation, inheriting one of the world’s richest civilizations. Nevertheless, they have demonstrated unwavering resolve to defend themselves against ruthless aggressors who recognize no limits in committing crimes—a defense that will continue as long as necessary.

Thank you for your attention.