Iran: Deliberate U.S. attack on two Iranian vessels constitutes war crime
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Gholamhossein Darzi, Iran's deputy permanent representative to the United Nations
Pars Today – Gholamhossein Darzi, Iran's deputy permanent representative to the United Nations, said in a letter to the UN Security Council that the U.S. attack on the Iranian vessels Naji-15 and Naji-16 constituted a war crime, arguing that the deliberate targeting of the two vessels—which were not engaged in any military activity at the time—amounted to "a serious and blatant violation of international humanitarian law."
According to Pars Today, citing IRNA, Gholamhossein Darzi, Iran's deputy permanent representative to the United Nations, wrote on Friday (local time) in a letter to the UN Secretary-General and the President of the Security Council that:
"In the early hours of July 23, 2026, the United States deliberately targeted two search-and-rescue vessels of the Islamic Republic of Iran, Naji-15 and Naji-16, while they were operating in the territorial waters of the Islamic Republic of Iran off Hormozgan Province."
The senior Iranian diplomat added: "The deliberate targeting of vessels exclusively dedicated to maritime search-and-rescue operations constitutes a flagrant violation of international humanitarian law and the international law of the sea. These vessels perform an entirely humanitarian mission, with the sole purpose of saving the lives of people in distress at sea."
Darzi stressed that Naji-15 and Naji-16 were entitled to such legal protection and were not engaged in any military activity or directly participating in hostilities at the time of the attack.
"Accordingly, their deliberate targeting represents a serious and blatant violation of international humanitarian law and constitutes a war crime."
The deputy permanent representative of Iran to the United Nations further stated that by deliberately targeting humanitarian maritime search-and-rescue assets, the United States had not only endangered the lives of rescue personnel but had also jeopardized the safety of all mariners in need of assistance, regardless of their nationality.
