The head of the International Committee of the Red Cross on Monday condemned “deliberate threats” against civilian targets that have marked the widening Middle East war.
Without naming any side, ICRC president Mirjana Spoljaric said there had already been widespread destruction of “essential” infrastructure and that “any war fought without limits is incompatible with the law” and “indefensible”.
Spoljaric spoke out as the conflict headed for a new crisis point with US President Donald Trump threatening attacks on Iranian bridges and power stations unless Iran reopens the Strait of Hormuz to international shipping.
The ICRC chief, whose body is considered a key guardian of the Geneva conventions, has already warned over the conduct of the war since it started on February 28 with US-Israeli attacks on Iran. Iran has responded with retaliatory strikes on Gulf states and Israel.
“Deliberate threats, whether in rhetoric or in action, against essential civilian infrastructure and nuclear facilities must not become the new norm in warfare,” Spoljaric said in a statement.
“Any war fought without limits is incompatible with the law. It is indefensible, inhumane and devastating for entire populations.”
‘Deliberate threats… against essential civilian infrastructure and nuclear facilities must not become the new norm in warfare,’ said Spoljaric – Copyright AFP JOEL SAGET
She added: “States must respect and ensure respect for the rules of war in both what they say and what they do. The world cannot succumb to a political culture that prioritizes death over life.”
Spoljaric said that, across the Middle East, ICRC “teams are seeing the destruction of infrastructure essential for civilian life. Power plants, water systems, hospitals, roads, bridges, homes, schools and universities have come under fire.
“Most alarming are potential threats to nuclear facilities. Any miscalculation can cause irreversible consequences for generations to come.
“I urgently call on parties to spare civilians and civilian objects in all military operations. It is their obligation under international humanitarian law.”
