UN: Human Rights Council condemns Iran over Hormuz blockade
Keystone-SDA
The UN Human Rights Council has condemned Iranian restrictions in the Strait of Hormuz. At an urgent debate in Geneva on Wednesday, it also condemned the Islamic Republic’s attacks on the Gulf States and Jordan.
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In a resolution approved by consensus, the body condemned any Iranian manoeuvre to “close, obstruct or interfere” with maritime traffic in the Strait of Hormuz. It denounced “in the strongest possible terms” the Islamic Republic’s attacks in the region and expressed concern about strikes against energy sites.
It also denounced all violations of international humanitarian law and human rights. And it called for “swift” and “appropriate” reparations for the damage caused by Tehran.
Earlier, the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk had stated that “States are flirting with unmitigated catastrophe” by increasing the number of missile launches. He warned of the danger for the whole of the Middle East and even beyond.
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The Austrian also deplored the increasing attacks on residential areas in Iran. Nearly 1,500 people have been killed. And a thousand others have died in Lebanon in Israeli strikes.
Switzerland takes the security concerns of the Gulf States and Jordan “seriously”, a representative of the Swiss mission to the UN in Geneva told the Council. Bern repeated its view that the United States and Israel were violating the principle of non-use of violence and that Tehran was exceeding the right of self-defence.
Iran and its Chinese and Cuban allies are pushing back. On Wednesday morning, the President of the Council announced that another urgent debate would be held on Friday morning at their request.
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Translated from French by AI/jdp
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