US Israel Iran War Latest News: Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baqaei has condemned what he described as US threats and attacks against civilian infrastructure in Iran, saying such actions violate the Geneva Conventions and constitute war crimes. Baqaei made the remarks on Wednesday, August 12, in a post on X marking the anniversary of the adoption of the four Geneva Conventions in 1949.
US Israel Iran War Latest News: Baqaei Warns Against Attacks on Civilian Infrastructure
Baqaei said threats against bridges, power plants and other civilian facilities undermine the fundamental principles of international humanitarian law. He urged the international community and countries that are party to the Geneva Conventions to uphold their obligations and warned that failing to respond to threats against civilian sites could weaken the international legal system.
“Today, 12 August, marks the anniversary of the adoption of the four Geneva Conventions in 1949—the core international treaties that established the most essential rules of the law of armed conflict, namely ‘humanity’, ‘distinction’, ‘military necessity’, ‘proportionality’, and the prohibition of ‘unnecessary suffering’ in order to civilize humanity and humanize war,” Baqaei wrote.
US Israel Iran War Latest News: Iran Accuses US of Violating International Law
Baqaei also criticized the United States for allegedly threatening to target Iranian infrastructure, bridges and power plants. “The architects of these four treaties could scarcely have imagined that, in 2026, seventy seven years after the adoption of these instruments, the United States, host nation of the United Nations and a permanent member of the Security Council, would repeatedly threaten to attack the infrastructure, bridges, and power plants of another country, and would in fact commit such crimes,” he said. His comments came amid continued tensions between Washington and Tehran and ongoing efforts to address the conflict through diplomatic channels.
US Israel Iran War Latest News: Baqaei Calls for International Response
The Iranian spokesperson called on the international community, states that have signed the Geneva Conventions and Switzerland, which serves as the depositary of the treaties, to respond to what he described as violations.
“The international community, the States Parties to the Geneva Conventions, and Switzerland as the depositary of these instruments cannot remain indifferent to such unprecedented violations, which constitute clear war crimes. Common Article 1 of the Geneva Conventions does not merely obligate States to respect the Conventions; it requires them to ‘ensure respect’ for them as well. Silence in the face of explicit threats against civilian objects is not mere political passivity, it is the erosion of one of the most fundamental civilizational and legal achievements of the post-World War II era,” Baqaei added.
US Israel Iran War Latest News: Iran Warns of Wider Impact
Baqaei argued that normalizing threats against civilian infrastructure could have consequences far beyond the current conflict. “Wherever the law falls silent before power, what collapses is not merely a bridge or a power plant, but humanity’s confidence in the possibility of the rule of law in international relations. If the threat to destroy civilian infrastructure becomes normalized in international affairs, no state can any longer feel secure about the inviolability of its hospitals, electricity grids, bridges, water facilities, or other vital arteries against external aggression. This is not merely a threat against one government; it is a regression of the entire legal order that humanity has built in its pursuit of civilization and the restraint of violence,” he said. He stressed that civilian facilities such as hospitals, electricity networks, bridges and water systems should remain protected during armed conflicts.
US Israel Iran War Latest News: Baqaei Ends Statement With Defiant Message
Baqaei concluded his statement by emphasizing Iran’s determination to withstand pressure. “Yet for us Iranians, the answer remains clear, No storm can shift a mountain from its place, and no number of trials can break those who stand firm on the path of resolve,” the spokesman underlined.
