Iran: World Bears Responsibility to Counter Israel’s Rights Violations in West Asia

Monday, 16 February 2026 5:52 PM

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi (R) and President of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) Mirjana Spoljaric Egger (C) meet in the Swiss city of Geneva on February 16, 2026. (Photo by Iran’s Foreign Ministry)

Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi of Iran says the international community shoulders the responsibility to confront the Israeli regime’s continued gross violations of humanitarian law in West Asia.

Araghchi made the remark in a meeting with the President of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), Mirjana Spoljaric Egger in the Swiss city of Geneva on Monday.

The Iranian foreign minister is in Geneva to take part in a second round of indirect nuclear negotiations with the United States.

Araghchi said all countries need to make serious efforts to safeguard the principles of international humanitarian law.

The Israeli regime and the United States, he said, clearly violated human rights by killing Iranian people and hitting civilian targets and infrastructure during the military aggression of June 2025.

The United Nations and relevant international bodies, including the ICRC, bear the responsibility to take a clear stance in this regard, Araghchi said.

Spoljaric, for her part, said the ICRC is ready to improve cooperation with Iran, particularly with the Iranian Red Crescent Society.

The ICRC president also emphasized the necessity for all countries to strive towards deepening adherence to the rules of international humanitarian law.

During the meeting, Araghchi and Spoljaric discussed international humanitarian law issues and cooperation between Iran and the ICRC.

The Red Cross representative in Iran visits Tehran

In July 2025, the ICRC representative in Iran, Vincent Cassard, visited Tehran's Evin prison following the Israeli regime’s airstrike that killed 79 people there. Cassard expressed shock over the extent of the attack, which he described as a violation of international law.

He said the ICRC monitors the implementation of international humanitarian law, which strictly prohibits any attack on civilians and civilian infrastructure, including prisons.