Amman, Jordan / Washington, DC, July 21, 2026 – CIVIC is alarmed by the renewed escalation of hostilities between the United States and Iran, including reports of strikes on infrastructure essential to civilian life.
According to reports, the US expanded its attacks against Iran through strikes on bridges, energy sites, and a port, following President Trump’s threats to bomb Iranian infrastructure. Iran has launched missiles across the region, including a power plant and water desalination plant in Kuwait.
Attacks on critical infrastructure not only endanger civilians at the time of attack but also cause widespread reverberating effects on civilians and the resources and systems they depend on for survival – including clean water, food stores, electricity, healthcare, and communication networks. CIVIC calls on the US and Iran to immediately halt attacks in populated areas and to protect the infrastructure upon which civilians depend.
Across the Middle East, civilians are once again paying the price for escalating military confrontation. People should not have to live in fear of the next missile or airstrike —or wonder whether they will have water and electricity tomorrow, said Stephanie Yousef, CIVIC’s MENA Senior Program Coordinator.
“Every attack on civilian infrastructure puts lives at risk long after the bombs have stopped falling. Protecting civilians must be the priority of every government. People across this region deserve safety—not to bear the consequences of decisions they did not make.”
CIVIC also underscores the importance of investigating reports of civilian harm and offering amends to civilian victims and survivors. According to research from CIVIC, Airwars, and Human Rights Activists in Iran, at least 1,443 civilian deaths – including at least 217 children – were reported from US and Israeli airstrikes in Iran in the first month of hostilities. The US military is currently investigating civilian harm from a February 28 strike on an elementary school in Minab, Iran that killed at least 150 people, the majority children. The outcomes of this investigation, along with the status of other US civilian harm assessments, are unknown.
The horrifying strike on a children’s school in Minab is just one of countless reports of civilian harm from the US war in Iran. As the US renews bombing in populated areas and against critical infrastructure, the devastating human costs will only continue to mount, said Annie Shiel, CIVIC’s US Director.
“The US public, and most importantly civilian victims and survivors in Iran, deserve answers about the true scale of US-caused civilian harm in this war, how it happened, and how the military plans to respond with accountability and reform.”
CIVIC calls on all parties to protect civilians and civilian infrastructure and fully comply with international humanitarian law.
In light of the significant risk to civilians in Iran and across the region, CIVIC further calls on the parties to end hostilities and return to the negotiating table.
CIVIC also calls on the United States to thoroughly assess and investigate all reports of civilian harm from its operations in Iran, to ensure transparency around the results, and to make amends to civilian victims and survivors in line with their needs and preferences, with appropriate precautions to ensure their safety and privacy.
For additional information or media inquiries, please contact:
- CIVIC’s Global Media Team: [email protected]
Spokespersons available for interviews in English, Arabic, and French
