Blitz Bureau
NEW DELHI: More than 1,300 civilians have been killed and 9,669 civilian sites destroyed in Iran in the military strikes launched by the United States and Israel since February 28, Amir Saeid Iravani, Iran’s ambassador and permanent representative to the United Nations, said.
The civilian sites included 7,943 residential homes, 1,617 commercial and service centers, 32 medical and pharmaceutical facilities, 65 schools and educational institutions, 13 Red Crescent buildings, and several energy supply facilities, Iravani told the press in a statement on March 11. “They are deliberately and indiscriminately targeting civilians and civilian infrastructure across my country. They show no respect for international law and no restraint in committing these crimes,” he said.
“Densely populated residential areas and critical civilian infrastructure are deliberately targeted,” he said, adding that the figures continue to rise as the US-Israeli military attacks continue.
Iravani listed several instances in which civilian targets were attacked, including heavy strikes on fuel storage facilities in Tehran and other cities on Saturday night, releasing large quantities of hazardous and toxic pollutants into the atmosphere.
The explosions caused severe air pollution and serious health risks for civilians, especially children, women, the elderly, and those with critical health conditions, he said, citing the Iranian Red Crescent Society, Xinhua news agency reported.
“These heinous attacks also violate international environmental obligations, including those under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change and the Convention on Biological Diversity,” he said.
