Iran's Judiciary chief vows to prosecute US, Israel for war crimes

Judiciary Chief Gholam-Hossein Mohseni Eje'i has emphasized the need to pursue the Iranian nation's legitimate rights through international legal and judicial mechanisms, stressing that the United States and Israel must be held accountable for crimes committed during their recent war on Iran.

Speaking at a meeting with senior judicial officials and provincial chief justices on Wednesday, Eje'i referred to the appropriate legal grounds for condemning the United States and Israel over their joint, unprovoked war of aggression against Iran, which began on February 28 and continued for forty consecutive days.

“The aggressor regimes of the United States and Israel deliberately committed numerous war crimes during their attack on Iran, from killing children and civilians to attacking sites such as hospitals, schools, universities, and residential buildings,” the Judiciary chief stressed.

Eje'i reiterated the need to address the issue through legal channels and called for coordinated action by all relevant institutions to safeguard Iran’s rights at the international level.

“The Prosecutor General, the Judiciary’s Deputy for International Affairs, the Secretary of the Human Rights Headquarters, and the Judiciary Lawyers’ Center, in coordination and cooperation with other relevant bodies in the executive and legislative branches, should make every effort to secure the legitimate rights of the Iranian nation in global judicial and legal forums,” he emphasized.

Referring to the 1949 Geneva Convention and customary rules governing armed conflicts, Eje'i stressed that the US and the occupying entity had violated international legal norms.

“During their aggression against Iran, the American and Zionist aggressors not only violated the Geneva Convention and its relevant additional protocols, but also disregarded the customary rules applicable to armed conflicts,” he said.

Elsewhere in his remarks, Eje'i stressed that the US and Israel must face international accountability.

“The United States and the Zionist regime, in addition to initiating war and aggression against the Iranian nation and violating the material and moral rights of our people, also committed all manner of war crimes during this period. Therefore, they must be prosecuted by the competent international authorities for compensation, reparation of damages, and punishment for committing war crimes. We will not let go of these aggressors; we will pursue them and insist on their punishment,” he emphasized.

The Judiciary chief further stressed that Iran reserves the right to seek legal remedies through international mechanisms.

“The right of the Islamic Republic of Iran to pursue legal and judicial action regarding all criminal and aggressive acts committed by the United States and the Zionist regime in international forums, as well as to make use of human rights mechanisms, remains fully reserved,” Eje'i emphasized.

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