UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (UNHCR) Volker Turk speaks during a press conference on his last day of an official visit to Serbia in Belgrade, Serbia, Wednesday, May 21, 2025.

Leaders of several United Nations agencies have publicly condemned Israel’s war with Iran that launched last week ― warning of the humanitarian and civilian toll that has already begun on both sides, and stressing that the public not forget about the continued destruction of Gaza and the Palestinian people.

Israel and Iran have been exchanging attacks on each other since Friday, when the former launched an assault on the latter’s top military leaders and nuclear infrastructure. Israeli forces have since killed more than 220 people in Tehran, while Iran’s retaliatory missiles have killed at least two dozen in Tel Aviv, Petah Tikva and Haifa.

“The military escalation between Israel and Iran is deeply worrying,” UN human rights chief Volker Türk said on Monday. “I join all those appealing for deescalation and urgent diplomatic negotiations to end these attacks and find a way forward. And I call for full respect of international law by both sides, in particular the protection of civilians in densely populated areas.”

UNICEF Executive Director Catherine Russell echoed the concern for civilians, saying that “children are once again paying the ultimate price” of war and violence.

Ambassador Amir Saeid Iravani, Permanent Representative of Iran to the UN, speaks during a press conference at the United Nations headquarters on Monday in New York City.

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