The Iranian Canadian Congress (ICC) continues to unequivocally condemn the unprovoked war imposed on Iran by the United States and Israel and expresses its profound concern over the ongoing escalation of violence. We stand in solidarity with all civilians affected by this conflict and recognize the immense human suffering that accompanies war.

The continued hostilities have deeply affected families both within Iran and across the diaspora, including many members of the Iranian Canadian community. Beyond the devastating humanitarian consequences, the conflict has also had significant social, economic, and psychological impacts on Canadians with family members, friends, and loved ones in the region.

The ICC supports Canada’s calls for de-escalation and the peaceful resolution of conflict. We further condemn violations of international humanitarian law and international criminal law committed by both state and non-state actors. Accountability must apply equally to all parties responsible for unlawful conduct during armed conflict (United Nations, 1945; International Criminal Court, 1998).

The Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court, together with the Geneva Conventions and customary international humanitarian law, establishes clear protections for civilians and civilian objects during armed conflict. Deliberate or indiscriminate attacks directed against civilians or civilian infrastructure—including hospitals, schools, universities, medical facilities, water systems, food supplies, places of worship, and other indispensable civilian infrastructure—may constitute war crimes under international law (Geneva Convention Relative to the Protection of Civilian Persons in Time of War, 1949; International Committee of the Red Cross, 1977; Rome Statute, 1998, arts. 8(2)(b)(i), 8(2)(b)(ii), & 8(2)(b)(ix); Henckaerts & Doswald-Beck, 2005; Dinstein, 2022).

The modern framework of international humanitarian law and the United Nations system was established in the aftermath of the First and Second World Wars to prevent humanity from repeating the horrors of genocide, crimes against humanity, and other mass atrocities that devastated entire nations. The Geneva Conventions, the United Nations Charter, and, more recently, the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court were created precisely to reject the doctrine that “might makes right” and to replace unilateral aggression with a rules-based international order founded on respect for human dignity, state sovereignty, human rights, and the peaceful settlement of disputes (United Nations, 1945; United Nations, 1948; Best, 1994; Cassese et al., 2013). Canada has long championed these principles, which have helped shape our national identity, democratic institutions, and longstanding commitment to the rule of law, international cooperation, human rights, and international humanitarian law (Department of National Defence, 2021). The erosion of these fundamental norms threatens not only the people directly affected by armed conflict but also the stability and security of the international community as a whole (Sassòli, 2019).

The ICC is deeply alarmed by credible reports of attacks affecting civilians and civilian infrastructure throughout the conflict. This includes the bombing of the Shajareh Tayyebeh Elementary School in Minab, which claimed the lives of 168 civilians, most of them school children (United Nations Children's Fund [UNICEF], 2026), in a double-tap strike against a protected civilian site. Such an attack would constitute a grave violation of international humanitarian law and may likely amount to a war crime under the Rome Statute (International Criminal Court, 1998, art. 8; Dinstein, 2022; Sassòli, 2019). We call for an independent, impartial investigation and for all those responsible to be held accountable under international law.

More broadly, we unequivocally condemn all unlawful attacks on civilians and civilian infrastructure. Deliberate or indiscriminate attacks against educational institutions, medical facilities, humanitarian personnel, residential neighborhoods, and other protected civilian sites represent serious violations of international humanitarian law and undermine the fundamental principles established to protect human life during armed conflict (Geneva Convention Relative to the Protection of Civilian Persons in Time of War, 1949; International Committee of the Red Cross, 1977; Henckaerts & Doswald-Beck, 2005; Sassòli, 2019).

We therefore urge the Government of Canada to continue championing international law, support independent investigations into alleged violations, hold perpetrators accountable through appropriate international legal mechanisms, and work with the international community to strengthen the protection of civilians, consistent with Canada's longstanding commitment to the rule of law and the international rules-based order (United Nations, 1945; Department of National Defence, 2021).

The Iranian Canadian Congress remains steadfast in its commitment to peace and justice. We condemn the war on Iran and do not believe that military aggression and adventurism can bring lasting peace to Iran or the broader region of West Asia. History has repeatedly demonstrated that armed conflict inflicts profound human suffering, destabilizes entire regions, and creates long-term consequences that extend far beyond national borders (Best, 1994; Cassese et al., 2013).

We therefore call upon all parties to pursue dialogue and peaceful, non-partisan avenues toward reconciliation, accountability, and a just and sustainable peace grounded in respect for international law, human rights, and the dignity of all people (United Nations, 1945; United Nations, 1948).

References

Best, G. (1994). War and law since 1945. Oxford University Press.

Cassese, A., & Gaeta, P. (2013). Cassese’s international criminal law (3rd ed.). Oxford University Press.

Department of National Defence. (2021). The law of armed conflict at the operational and tactical levels. Government of Canada.

Dinstein, Y. (2022). The conduct of hostilities under the law of international armed conflict (4th ed.). Cambridge University Press.

Geneva Convention Relative to the Protection of Civilian Persons in Time of War (Fourth Geneva Convention), August 12, 1949, 75 U.N.T.S. 287.

Henckaerts, J.-M., & Doswald-Beck, L. (2005). Customary international humanitarian law (Vols. I–II). Cambridge University Press & International Committee of the Red Cross.

International Committee of the Red Cross. (1977). Protocol Additional to the Geneva Conventions of 12 August 1949, and relating to the Protection of Victims of International Armed Conflicts (Protocol I).

Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court. (1998). 2187 U.N.T.S.

Sassòli, M. (2019). International humanitarian law: Rules, controversies, and solutions to problems arising in warfare. Edward Elgar Publishing.

United Nations. (1945). Charter of the United Nations. https://www.un.org/en/about-us/un-charter

United Nations. (1948). Universal Declaration of Human Rights. General Assembly Resolution 217 A (III). https://www.un.org/en/about-us/universal-declaration-of-human-rights

United Nations Children's Fund. (2026, March 5). The brutality of war measured in children's lives as hostilities escalate in Iran. https://www.unicef.org/press-releases/brutality-war-measured-childrens-lives-hostilities-escalate-iran