GENEVA, 28 Feb. - (ANA) - UN human rights chief Volker Turk said he deplored the military strikes across Iran and the subsequent retaliatory strikes by Iran.

 

“As always, in any armed conflict, it is civilians who end up paying the ultimate price,” he said in a statement. “Bombs and missiles are not the way to resolve differences but only result in death, destruction and human misery.”

 

Mr Turk called for restraint and for all parties to “see reason, to de-escalate, and for a return to the ‘negotiating table’ where they had been actively seeking a solution only hours earlier.”

 

“I have already warned that failing to do so risks an even wider conflict, that will inevitably lead to further senseless civilian deaths and destruction on a potentially unimaginable scale, not just in Iran but across the Middle East region,” he added.  - (ANA) -

 

AB/ANA/28 February 2026 - - -