UAE rejects Iran's labelling of attacks on the region as 'retaliatory'

The UAE has dismissed Iran's labelling of its attacks on countries in the region as "retaliatory" during the Human Rights Council's session in Geneva, calling it a bid to mislead the international community.

In a statement delivered by Jamal Al Musharakh, UAE Permanent Representative to the UN, Al Musharakh emphasized that such characterisation, contained in the report of the Special Rapporteur and the Fact-Finding Mission, lacks any legal or factual basis and provides an unjustified pretext for acts of aggression that are unlawful under international law.

He called on the Human Rights Council to uphold its responsibilities by characterising these violations in a manner that accurately reflects their nature and gravity and is consistent with international law and established facts.

Al Musharakh  noted that despite the sincere efforts undertaken by the UAE and countries in the region until the last moment to prevent the outbreak of war, Iran chose to isolate itself from its neighbours.

The UAE underscored that targeting civilians and civilian infrastructure constitutes a grave violation of international humanitarian laws and undermines efforts to strengthen regional security and stability, adding that the attacks have so far killed seven people and injured 142 others.

He highlighted that Iran's "unprovoked aggression" against the UAE, GCC and Jordan saw the UN Security Council adopt a draft resolution, co-sponsored by 136 UN member states, demanding Tehran to immediately halt hostilities. 

In his concluding remarks, Al Musharakh stressed that the UAE reaffirms its full right to take all necessary measures to safeguard its sovereignty, national security, and territorial integrity, and to ensure the safety of its citizens and residents, in accordance with its right to self-defence under international law and Article 51 of the Charter of the United Nations.

The mandate of the Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Iran is one of the independent mechanisms of the Human Rights Council, tasked with monitoring the human rights situation in Iran and submitting periodic reports and recommendations to the Council. The Independent International Fact-Finding Mission on Iran was also established by a Council resolution to investigate alleged human rights violations in Iran and to collect and document relevant evidence and information.