Iranians deserve a legitimate intervention from the international community
Europe needs to show its commitment to international law and human rights, or the people of Iran will continue to be trampled by repression and aggression and we risk further undermining the validity of the international rules based order.
What is the current escalating situation in Iran?
In Iran, repression has significantly intensified. Independent human rights observers and activists report that thousands of civilians have been killed, with some estimates suggesting tens of thousands of deaths during the brutal crackdown by Iranian security forces. Throughout January 2026 waves of arrests continued, accompanied by accusations of torture and coercion, but the exact number of people arrested since the start of the protests has remained not fully disclosed.
Unarmed protesters, bystanders, and even children have been shot with live ammunition. Doctors who dare to treat the wounded have been arrested and are awaiting execution. An increasing number of protesters, activists and organisers have been sentenced to death, with mass executions surging in recent weeks. The internet has been shut down to keep the truth of these violent acts hidden. For this reason, the European Union has taken action, adding Iran's Revolutionary Guards to the terrorist list, while still maintaining open diplomatic channels.
At the same time, the United States has issued an ultimatum to Iran, threatening military intervention. Trump is demanding Iran make a “deal” regarding its nuclear programme while also using rhetoric about stopping the killings of protesters, instrumentalising their suffering as a geopolitical leverage. In response, the Islamic Republic's Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi stated that the country's armed forces were ready, "with their fingers on the trigger [to] immediately and powerfully respond" to any aggression by land or sea.
Diplomatic talks between the US and Iran are taking place in Oman. These are the first since the US attacked Iran’s nuclear facilities in June 2025. The discussion is aimed at addressing Iran’s nuclear programme and broader regional security issues. There is heightened tension, as the wide-ranging demands advanced by Trump – pushing for more than just nuclear agreements – risk putting the entire diplomatic effort at stake, at a moment when the window for meaningful progress is already narrow.
What kind of action are we calling for now?
The situation of the Iranian people is devastating and urgent. Decisive action by the international community is needed sooner rather than later to intervene in the face of a mounting number of civilian deaths and unlawful executions on a daily basis.
The US is threatening military intervention with the main goal of destroying Iranian nuclear and defensive capability, which would require weeks of sustained overhead bombardment. While claiming that liberation of the Iranian people and regime change are key goals of the intervention, the US has not proposed any credible strategy for long-term democratic change or stability in connection to these threats.
A US-led military intervention that bypasses international law would not ensure a peaceful transition of power or the urgently needed relief for the Iranian people. Simultaneously this would significantly weaken the international rules-based order and further embed a dangerous precedent of unilateral military aggression and infringement of self-determination on the international stage. Europe must firmly insist on compliance with international law, in particular the unlawful use of military force.
Instead, we demand decisive action by the United Nations Security Council in compliance with the Responsibility to Protect (R2P) principle, which ensures that the international community protects populations from genocide, war crimes, ethnic cleansing, and crimes against humanity. Where a state manifestly fails to protect its population from mass atrocities, the international community has a responsibility to act collectively, through lawful and proportionate measures mandated by the Security Council.
The UNSC must assess the situation accordingly and should mandate a multilateral, NATO led operation meant to put significant pressure on the regime under the legal argument of R2P to stop arbitrary violence and mass killings inflicted by the Iranian government. Such an operation must prioritise civilian protection, prevent further atrocities, and lay the groundwork for democratic reconstruction.
However, we realise that the UNSC is currently deadlocked and needs to be urgently reformed. In the absence of a UN mandate, the next best thing would be a multilateral operation with broad participation, in compliance with R2P. Europe should unite so that in the long run, it can speak with one voice in the world and help build a rules based order that can act faster and decisively to protect human rights everywhere.
In addition, Europe must play an active role in de-escalating tensions, strengthening Iranian civil society, enabling humanitarian support and guaranteeing asylum for the politically persecuted and those fleeing human rights violations, while using all diplomatic tools available to ensure that any use of force is grounded in international legality and multilateral legitimacy.
Inaction in the face of mass repression and large scale human rights violations is not an option. Accountability for the killings of protesters and the violent suppression of dissent must be pursued through legal mechanisms, including independent investigations through the Human Rights Council. At the EU level, Member States can rely on universal jurisdiction to investigate and prosecute individuals responsible for grave international crimes. The European Union should actively facilitate and coordinate these processes.
We stand with the Iranian people, who have been protesting against the illegitimate regime for decades, calling for an end to repression, respect for basic freedoms, accountability for abuses, and the right to shape their country’s future.
Our Iranian friends need solidarity, not silence.
They need principled international action grounded in law and legitimacy, not unlawful unilateral intervention. And above all, they deserve to be heard.
Image: By Vahid Online, CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=182747312
______________
You and us share the same dream of a united, thriving Europe. It really means a lot to us when you make a donation, and if you would like to help us plan ahead with confidence, we thank you for your monthly contribution 💜 .