US blockade of Iranian ports ‘collective punishment’ of civilians: Top rights body

Iran’s High Council for Human Rights has condemned the United States’ blockade of Iranian ports and the seizure of an Iranian commercial vessel, the Touska, as crimes surpassing maritime piracy and state terrorism, and amounting to collective punishment against millions of Iranian civilians.

In a statement released on Saturday, the council strongly denounced the US’s criminal actions in imposing a port blockade and carrying out an armed attack on the Touska in Omani waters.

It said these acts amount to military aggression and a systematic, organized violation of the Iranian people’s most fundamental human rights.

The statement further noted that the US has made deceitful attempts to conceal its crimes by invoking legal and human rights claims against Iran, but asserted that its own actions breach “all human, moral, and human rights principles and values.”

According to the Iranian body, the blockade of Iranian ports has restricted citizens’ access to medicine, food, fuel, and other essential goods.

“The attack on the Touska and the taking of its crew hostage is a concrete example of the violation of the right to human security, the right to work, and the right to physical and psychological integrity,” the statement said.

Citing international law on armed conflicts, the council pointed out that the US action constitutes a gross violation of a ceasefire agreement reached between Iran and the US on April 8, and is a clear example of an act of aggression under Article 3 of UN General Assembly Resolution 3314.

The statement also the US naval military aggression, carried out without adherence to the principles of distinction, proportionality, and precaution—and arbitrarily targeting civilians and non-military infrastructure—amounts to a war crime under Article 8 of the Statute of the International Criminal Court.

The High Council for Human Rights urgently called on international human rights mechanisms and relevant UN bodies to urge the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights and the Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights to formally declare that the port blockade and commercial vessel seizure constitute “collective punishment” and a violation of the right to livelihood and development.

It further urged the UN Working Group on Arbitrary Detention to recognize the US action in taking the Iranian ship’s crew hostage as “arbitrary detention and contrary to international standards” and to call for their immediate release.

The Iranian body also called on the UN Human Rights Council to convene a special session to condemn the blockade and emphasize the need to identify perpetrators and hold them accountable.

Additionally, it urged the international community and member states of the International Maritime Organization to explicitly condemn the action, demand full accountability from the US, and insist on compensation for the material and moral damages inflicted on the sailors and their families.

“Silence in the face of such crimes will not only exacerbate impunity for aggressors but will also undermine the fundamental norms of human rights, humanitarian law, and the law of armed conflict forever,” the statement warned.

It added that full responsibility for any further escalation in the region and continued violations of the Iranian people’s human rights lies directly with the US government.

The statement also reiterated that the US and Israel launched an illegal, unprovoked war of aggression against Iran on February 28, assassinating the Leader of the Islamic Revolution, Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei, and striking military installations and civilian infrastructure, including schools, hospitals, and bridges.

According to the council, Iran has since demonstrated its responsible approach by agreeing to a two-week ceasefire brokered by Pakistan, despite having the upper hand on the battlefield after 100 waves of retaliatory strikes under Operation True Promise 4.

It noted that while ceasefire took effect on April 8, Washington has continued to enforce a naval blockade of Iranian ports, a move Tehran considers illegal under international law and a clear violation of the ceasefire.

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