‘We are witnessing grave challenges to world peace and security, with political leaders utterly failing to uphold international law and actively dismantling the rules-based order. The international community has a crucial responsibility to uphold international law and support UN institutions in resolving disputes between states through diplomacy, not war and violence. States’ leaders must rise to the occasion before it’s too late.’ Germán Rojas, Chair of PEN International’s Writers for Peace Committee
PEN International unequivocally condemns all breaches of international law, including the illegal use of force by the United States of America and Israel against the Islamic Republic of Iran, and subsequent Iranian retaliatory strikes across the Middle East. The escalating exchange of hostilities has led to mounting civilian casualties and the destruction of civilian infrastructure, including hospitals and schools.
The organisation is gravely concerned by mounting civilian casualties in Iran and in countries across the Middle East. The intentional disregard of states’ obligations under international law will exacerbate the already catastrophic human rights crisis in the region, and risks expanding conflict and instability to other parts of the world, undermining international peace and security.
The international community should take immediate and urgent steps to de-escalate the deepening crisis and to protect civilians from further harm. All parties to the conflict should cease hostilities immediately and refrain from committing further breaches of international law.
6 March 2026: As protracted wars and conflicts continue to endanger the lives of millions around the world, it is critical that states reassert their commitment to international law and the preservation of the rules-based international order. The UN Charter prohibits the use of force against the territorial integrity or political independence of any state, and asserts that all states have a duty to peacefully settle international disputes, and to refrain from endangering international peace and security.
Recent remarks by senior US officials concerning the ‘stupid rules of engagement’ in the context of US military strikes in Iran are deeply alarming and reflect an apparent contempt towards international law and the US government’s domestic legal obligations. States should, at all times, strictly adhere to international law and international humanitarian law (also known as the laws of war) and refrain from unlawful acts that may harm civilians, damage civilian infrastructure, or endanger international peace and security.
On 1 March 2026, the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) expressed alarm about reports of an attack on a girls’ primary school in Minab, southern Iran, killing and injuring scores of children. According to media reports, at least 165 people were killed by the attack, most of them children aged between 7 and 12, with many more injured. Reports of attacks on Iranian hospitals and medical centres, with Iranian retaliatory strikes on civilian infrastructure across the region, raise grave concerns over the conflict’s humanitarian toll on civilians and vital civilian infrastructure, which should never be a target of military operations.
Serious concerns have arisen regarding the well-being of civilians who have been arbitrarily detained in Iranian police stations and intelligence service facilities that were reportedly targeted in missile attacks. Among those detained are numerous protestors who were swept up during the recent brutal crackdown on anti-government protests across Iran. Last year, Israeli strikes on the notorious Evin Prison complex in Tehran resulted in the killing of at least 80 civilians, including prisoners, social workers, and administrative staff. PEN International calls for the release of those who remain arbitrarily detained for their peaceful expression during nationwide protests that took place in recent weeks.
These concerns have been exacerbated by the by the Iranian government’s deliberateshutdown of internet services for almost five days, depriving millions of Iranians of their ability to communicate with their families and loved ones amid escalating war.
For more information, please contact Mina Thabet, Head of the MENA Region, PEN International: Mina.Thabet@pen-international.org
