Consistent with its global mandate, the ICRC's focus remains the humanitarian impact of hostilities.
Cassard emphasized that the rules of war require taking constant care to spare civilians and civilian objects in the conduct of military operations. The ICRC remains committed to its long-standing approach of engaging with parties to conflicts in response to potential violations of international humanitarian law in a bilateral and confidential manner, aiming to avoid or reduce suffering of civilians and damage to civilian objects.
In Hamedan, Cassard paid a visit to the local branch of the IRCS followed by meeting the family of an IRCS aid worker killed during the escalation. He commended the courage and dedication of the IRCS staff who, from the early hours of the escalation, risked their own lives to help the civilian population. Cassard expressed his condolences for the death of IRCS staff and stressed that humanitarian relief personnel and objects used for humanitarian relief operations must be respected and protected under international humanitarian law.
The ICRC continues to support the Iranian Red Crescent Society’s humanitarian activities in accordance with the fundamental principles of the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement, the ICRC’s mandate and established working modalities.
The International Committee of the Red Cross is an impartial, neutral and independent organization whose exclusively humanitarian mission is to protect the lives and dignity of victims of armed conflict and other situations of violence, and to provide them with assistance.