The China Mail - UN rights council to hold urgent debate on Iran's Gulf strikes

The session, approved on Tuesday, was requested by Bahrain on behalf of the six Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries and Jordan -- to the infuriation of Tehran, which branded them "detached from reality".

The United Nations' top rights body will discuss "the recent military aggression launched by Iran against Bahrain, Jordan, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates... targeting civilians and civilian infrastructure, which has resulted in the loss of innocent lives", according to the debate title.

The war erupted on February 28 when the United States and Israel began their attacks on Iran, with Tehran in turn striking targets in Israel and Gulf nations.

"Our countries are not party to the armed conflict, nor have we taken part in military aggression or attacks," Bahrain's ambassador Abdulla Abdullatif Abdulla told the council on Tuesday.

"These Iranian attacks have targeted civilians, civilian infrastructure, leading to very many innocent victims."

Abdulla said the GCC and Jordan had tried to ensure that dialogue prevailed, and had affirmed they would not attack Iran.

"Despite this, we are continuing to be targets of direct attacks," he said, calling the strikes "unjustified and unjustifiable".

The countries brought forward a draft resolution, which the 47-member council will vote on.

The draft resolution "condemns in the strongest terms the egregious attacks" by Iran, condemns Tehran's actions aimed at closing the Strait of Hormuz and voices "grave concerns at the Iranian attacks on energy infrastructure".

It demands Iran "cease all unprovoked attacks" against the GCC states and Jordan, and "provide full, adequate, effective and prompt reparation for all injury and damage... caused by its internationally illegal wrongful acts".

It does not mention Israel or the United States.

- 'Lawful targets': Tehran -

Tehran said the request was "wilfully ignoring the ongoing war of aggression launched against Iran by the US and Israeli regimes".

Holding such a debate was "manifestly unjust, legally untenable and fundamentally detached from reality", Iran's representative told the council.

"It is obvious that if the littoral states of the Persian Gulf and Jordan had not permitted their territories to be used by the US military forces for acts of aggression, US military bases and facilities in the region would not have become lawful targets.

"These states have, at a minimum, facilitated acts that qualify as aggression," and therefore cannot claim isolation from Iran's right of self-defence.

"Iran did not initiate this conflict... Don't confuse the culprits with the victims," the representative said.

Council president Sidharto Reza Suryodipuro said he had received a letter from Iran, China and Cuba requesting another urgent debate.

That request, on the "protection of children and educational institutions in international armed conflicts", refers to the airstrike on a school in the southern city of Minab, calling it a "grave breach of international humanitarian law and international human rights law".

Suryodipuro said the request would be discussed by the council bureau later on Tuesday.

C.Mak--ThChM