The United Nations has condemned the renewed hostilities in the Middle East, warning that closing the Strait of Hormuz again would have a dire impact on human rights beyond the region.
The fighting “undermines peace efforts and deepens instability, with grave risks for human rights across the entire region,” the UN high commissioner for human rights Volker Turk said in a statement on Tuesday.
“The return to wider hostilities in the Middle East between the US and Iran is a huge setback for civilians in the region and beyond,” he added, urging restraint.
In the latest overnight strikes, the United States attacked Iranian targets for five hours in a battle for control of the Strait of Hormuz, which Tehran said it had closed, in the third successive night of US strikes on Iran.
The strait “is a vital lifeline on which millions are reliant”, Turk said.
