We, the undersigned South Asian Councillors for Human Rights, Democracy and Peace*, condemn the ongoing military strikes—titled ‘Operation Epic Fury’ and ‘Shield of Judah’—by the United States and Israel against Iran. These strikes were initiated amidst diplomatic negotiations on Iran’s nuclear programme, which by all accounts were moving toward a positive conclusion.
The military action, consisting of targeted assassinations and widespread bombardment, is a blatant violation of international law with manifold consequences for global peace and security. This ongoing aggression is not authorised by the UN Security Council and flies in the face of Article 2(4) of the UN Charter, which prohibits the “threat or use of force against the territorial integrity or political independence of any state.”
We find the international legal order in free fall as militarily dominant states engage in such illegal manoeuvres, bypassing national and international checks and balances. The blitz against Iran is already having a cascading impact on world security, and the consequences will be felt far into the future within the global economy and social development in the Global South. We also note that the present attacks on Iran are being carried out with the same genocidal intent seen in the destruction of Gaza.
Having attacked Iran in July 2025, President Donald Trump has once again bypassed the required authorisation from the US Congress and dragged West Asia into a dangerous and unnecessary war. He calls it a “pre-emptive excursion” for self-defence. The bombing of an Iranian elementary school, which killed over 170 children, was a grave violation of international humanitarian law; furthermore, the assassination of Iran’s top civilian and military leadership is bound to make de-escalation a significant challenge.
We are outraged at the silence of the Global North allies of the US-Israel axis who, while urging Tehran to stop its retaliatory attacks and calling for a negotiated settlement, act as if ignorant of the side that initiated the conflict.
We wish to emphasise that initiating military manoeuvres aimed at forced regime change never leads to democracy and political stability. At this point, we are forced to consider the impact that decades-long US sanctions have had on the people of Iran, who have borne the brunt of economic hardship, suffered from the punitive action of their government against dissent, and today live in fear amidst bombings by the US-Israel axis.
The ongoing war has impacted the global energy market, raised the prices of petroleum products and natural gas, and hit industrial supply chains from fertilisers to pharmaceuticals. While the global economy is being hurt, our region of South Asia—which hosts a fourth of the world’s population—is additionally imperiled. The countries of the subcontinent, already hurt by pre-existing global political and economic uncertainties and climate-change-related impacts on infrastructure, livelihoods and GDP, will be forced to implement further austerity measures that will hurt hundreds of millions.
South Asian economies are heavily dependent on remittances from migrant workers in the Gulf region. The West Asia war will lead to reduced national incomes all over, with the added burden of looking after laid-off migrant workers.
We are witnessing intensified retaliation by Iran leading to human and economic losses in the neighbouring countries of West Asia. We demand an immediate ceasefire among the warring sides and diplomatic action to end the conflict before it widens to take more lives and strike deeper into the world economy. Finally, we demand that the President of the United States, who initiated the present crisis, to begin the process of disengagement.
Signatories:
- Hina Jilani, Pakistan
- Sultana Kamal, Bangladesh
- Dr. Hameeda Hossain, Bangladesh
- Dr. Syeda Hameed, India
- Kanak Mani Dixit, Nepal
- Dr. Sima Samar, Afghanistan