“Article18 expresses deep concern over the ongoing conflict between the Islamic Republic of Iran and Israel. Our hearts are with all civilians — Iranian, Israeli, and others across the region — whose lives are being upended by violence they neither chose nor control.

As a human rights organisation, our concern is for the dignity of all people — regardless of nationality or religion — and the urgent need for peace. Iranian and Israeli citizens alike deserve the chance to live in safety and freedom, without fear or coercion.

We are especially mindful of the people of Iran, who have endured decades of repression, economic hardship, and isolation. Their suffering is only deepened when their government pursues conflict at the expense of their well-being. The Islamic Republic must abandon inflammatory rhetoric and ideological hostility, and instead focus on the safety, prosperity, and basic rights of its own citizens — responsibilities it has neglected for over four decades. It has no mandate to gamble with their lives for the sake of religiopolitical ideology.

We also urge the Israeli government to refrain from targeting civilian infrastructure in Iran. Destroying systems essential to survival will only worsen human suffering and makes any future path towards peace and reconciliation all the more difficult to walk.

We call not merely for an end to the conflict, but for a just resolution that brings lasting peace — one that upholds fairness and restores dignity.

As this conflict reshapes realities in Iran and the region, we pray that Christians and other long-persecuted religious minorities in Iran may finally have the space to reclaim their rights and contribute freely to the nation’s future.

We remain committed to advocating for the fundamental right to freedom of religion or belief — a right so often denied, yet essential to the foundations of a just and peaceful society. Had this freedom been truly respected throughout the region, perhaps such a conflict would never have taken root.”

— Article18