Russia, China call on Israel to cease raids on Iran
At the United Nations Security Council session in Geneva on Friday, China and Russia called on Israel to immediately halt its military actions against Iran, with Beijing urging a ceasefire to prevent further escalation and Moscow accusing Israel of disregarding diplomatic efforts.
Russian Ambassador Vassily Nebenzia said Iran’s nuclear facilities are under International Atomic Energy Agency safeguards and subject to the most stringent inspections.
“Not a single member of this body is under more stringent oversight,” Nebenzia said.
China’s Ambassador, Fu Cong urged “the parties to the conflict, Israel in particular, should cease fire as soon as possible to prevent the conflict from escalating.”
Cong said that Israel’s actions against Iran violate international law and the norms of international relations.
The United Nations Security Council is convening an emergency session to address the escalating conflict between Iran and Israel, now entering its second week.
UN chief Antonio Guterres warned that any expansion of Israel-Iran conflict could ignite a fire "no on can control," calling on all those involved to "give peace a change."
UN nuclear watchdog chief Rafael Grossi issues stark warning against any direct hit at Iran's nuclear plant in Bushehr and Tehran, citing grave radiation risks.
Israeli UN envoy Daniel Meron has called on the E3 (France, Germany, UK) to mount pressure on Iran in talks scheduled for Friday to give up its nuclear program.
"We expect the European foreign ministers to take a firm stance vis-a-vis Iran and demand that there is a complete rollback of the nuclear program, the dismantling of the ballistic missile arsenal and program, and putting an end to Iran's regional terrorist activities and active support for its terrorist proxies."
The war may have begun as a clash between Israel and the Islamic Republic, but for many Iranians now caught in the crossfire, it has become an intimate reality, marked by both grief and rare solidarity.
In the wake of mass evacuations from Tehran and other cities, a wave of grassroots support has emerged.
Iranians across social media are offering shelter, food, and medical help. Families far from the strikes are hosting refugees, doctors are providing free virtual consultations, and volunteers are caring for the elderly, infirm, and even abandoned pets.
“This is the least I can do now,” wrote Yasser Saiedy, an Iranian cardiologist based in Germany, offering remote consultations on X.
Others share stories of restraint—people letting others buy bread first, rationing water, making sure no one is left behind. Acts of solidarity, unfolding in the shadow of devastation.
A war without warning
Israeli airstrikes have hit Tehran and other cities with little or no notice, drawing criticism from many Iranians and some international observers.
One strike on Tehran’s District 18, near Mehrabad Airport, came just over an hour after a 2:00 AM warning. Activists noted the area’s high population of child laborers and street children.
“Under no circumstances is the death of children justifiable,” wrote Hamed Farmand of the International Coalition for Children with Incarcerated Parents. “Just as the death and starvation of Palestinian children has no name other than murder and genocide.”
Some of the over 320 civilian casualties of Israel's attacks
Iranian authorities have also faced criticism for failing to sound sirens, issue warnings or war-time guidelines through state media.
“It still hasn’t occurred to anyone to sound a siren or even issue a radio warning,” Tehran resident Sahar Karimi posted on X. “Ordinary people are dying, nobody cares?”
The government has released no official death toll, but rights groups report over 320 civilian deaths, including dozens of children.
Outrage and despair
The Center for Human Rights in Iran (CHRI) condemned the violence on Wednesday, denouncing “the deliberate targeting of civilians” and calling for an immediate ceasefire and a path to diplomacy.
London-based human rights lawyer Shadi Sadr called Israel’s evacuation warnings a form of forced displacement.
“The forcible displacement of a civilian population is a crime against humanity under international law. Full stop,” she wrote.
Frustration deepened after US President Donald Trump urged people to evacuate Tehran—a suggestion many called detached from reality.
Nobel Peace Laureate Narges Mohammadi responded promptly, reminding those ordering people to flee that Tehran is not only home to millions of people, but thousands of schools, hospitals, and businesses.
“Which of them are we meant to carry on our shoulders to save from death and devastation,” she asked in an Instagram post. “Do not destroy my city. End this war.”
No side feels like home
As the war drags on, many Iranians—at home and in exile—say they can’t side with either party to the conflict.
“This was not our war,” Sadr wrote, “but it is increasingly becoming ours, as our loved ones are being taken hostage by two criminal states.”
“You know what is the worst nightmare of every Iranian now,” an exiled activist posted on X, “that US and Israel, having started this destruction, do not finish it, leaving the people of Iran to the hard and brutal days that the Islamic Republic will unleash upon us once it is over.”
In Tehran—in the midst of it all—perspective and tone is slightly different.
“They thought it would end with (supreme leader Ali) Khamenei’s death and the regime collapsing,” Abbas, a 46-year-old office worker in Tehran, says in a message on an encrypted app. “But as war drags on, they’ll realize that that was never a priority for Israel.”
Iranian foreign minister Abbas Araghchi accused Israel of committing grave war crimes with attacks on Iran's nuclear sites.
Speaking at a UN's human rights council meeting in Geneva, he said 'hundreds' have been killed in Israeli airstrikes on Iran, adding that Tehran was poised to reach an agreement with Washingon.
Araghchi will talk with European counterparts in the Swiss city.
British police have arrested six men on suspicion of grievous bodily harm following an incident near the Iranian embassy in London, authorities said in a statement on Friday.
"Six men have been arrested on suspicion of grievous bodily harm – they remain in police custody," police said in a statement.
Local media reported the arrests took place at a protest against the Iranian leadership.
Police did not link the arrests to the Iranian embassy, but said they took place on Prince’s Gate in London, which is where the embassy is located.
"Two men were treated for injuries at the scene and have been taken to hospital for further treatment by the London Ambulance Service.
“Police have cordoned off the area while initial investigations take place.”
