UNICEF Urges Protection of Children as Conflict Escalates in Iran

According to UNICEF, more than 4,000 children have reportedly been killed or injured across six countries during the past five months.

UNICEF has renewed its call for the protection of children as the conflict in Iran and neighbouring countries continues to escalate, warning that children are being killed and injured in places that should offer safety, including homes, schools and communities.

The agency highlighted a recent attack on Qeshm Island off Iran's southern coast, where a two-year-old child and the child's parents were reportedly killed after a residential building was struck. Two other children were also reported injured in the same incident. UNICEF described the tragedy as another reminder that children continue to bear the greatest burden of a conflict they neither started nor can control.

Thousands of children affected across the region

According to UNICEF, more than 4,000 children have reportedly been killed or injured across six countries during the past five months. Of those casualties, more than 2,500 were reported in Iran, including 386 children killed and 2,117 injured. The organisation said these figures reflect the devastating human cost of the ongoing violence, with children paying the highest price as fighting continues to affect civilian areas and essential services.

Call to uphold international humanitarian law

UNICEF urged all parties involved in the conflict to comply fully with their obligations under international humanitarian law, stressing that children must be protected at all times regardless of where they live. The agency also called for ceasefires to be fully respected and implemented, saying every possible measure should be taken to end the violence and prevent further harm to civilians. It warned against allowing the suffering of children to become accepted as a consequence of war.

Protecting children must remain a global priority

UNICEF said children have no role in creating conflicts yet continue to experience their most severe consequences, including death, injury, displacement and lasting psychological trauma. The organisation appealed to governments and all parties involved to place the protection of children at the centre of their actions, ensuring that homes, schools and communities remain safe spaces where children can live, learn and grow without fear.