Presenter alleges U.S. and Israeli "deliberate, unprovoked" attacks on Iran, cites civilian toll

An unnamed presenter delivered a formal statement accusing the United States and Israel of launching "deliberate, unprovoked, and unlawful" military action against Iran and said the strikes have killed and wounded large numbers of civilians.

The presenter said the attacks began on Feb. 28 and characterized the campaign as indiscriminate, singling out airports, schools, hospitals, sports complexes and municipal buildings as targets. "Densely populated residential area and critical civilian infrastructure are deliberately targeted," the presenter said.

In a passage citing the Iranian Red Crescent Society, the presenter said "at least 1,332 civilians, including women and children, have lost their lives so far" and that thousands more have been injured. The statement also claimed that on the first day of the attacks a girls' elementary school in Minab was struck and that "175 school girls were martyed" there. The presenter attributed these casualty figures to the Iranian Red Crescent Society; the numbers were presented in the statement and were not independently verified in the record.

The presenter alleged the use of large munitions, saying an unnamed U.S. official acknowledged use of "500, 1,000 and 2,000 pounds" bombs, and argued that use of such weapons in populated areas demonstrates an intent to terrorize civilians. The statement also described damage to the Azadi sport complex and other recreational facilities and said more than 18 female athletes were killed in one facility strike.

On maritime matters, the presenter alleged that an Iranian frigate on a goodwill visit with the Indian Navy in international waters was attacked, saying about 130 sailors were aboard and that "nearly 100 Iranian sailors were martyed." The presenter described the incident as a war crime.

The statement criticized the U.N. Security Council for what the presenter called silence in the face of "grave violations" and urged the Security Council and the U.N. secretary-general to condemn the attacks, force an immediate halt to hostilities and ensure accountability under the Charter of the United Nations. The presenter invoked Article 51 of the U.N. Charter to describe Iran's right to self-defense and said any Iranian response would be "lawful, necessary and proportionate." The presenter also said Iranian authorities are investigating whether some incidents resulted from interceptions or interference by U.S. defense systems that might have diverted munitions from intended military targets.

The record shows two brief questions at the end of the statement; neither produced a substantive response in the transcript.

The claims in the statement — including casualty counts, descriptions of specific attacks and assertions about who conducted them — were presented by the speaker as factual or as reported by Iranian agencies. This article attributes those claims to the presenter and to the Iranian Red Crescent Society where indicated in the record; those claims were not independently verified in the transcript.