Stop the Killing. End the Destruction. Choose Peace.

We, the undersigned, urgently call for an immediate ceasefire in the US-Israeli war on Iran, which began on February 28, 2026. This conflict has caused devastating civilian casualties, destroyed irreplaceable cultural heritage, and set dangerous precedents for international law. We call on all parties, and the international community, to act now.

The Human Cost

As of mid-March 2026, independent human rights monitors have documented over 3,100 deaths in Iran from airstrikes, including at least 1,354 confirmed civilians — among them 120 children and 160 women. Iran’s health ministry reports approximately 15,000 people injured. The Iranian Red Crescent has documented damage to more than 80,000 civilian units, including homes, schools, hospitals, and ambulances. Nine hospitals have been rendered non-operational and 12 healthcare workers killed while performing their duties. Families preparing for Nowruz, the Iranian New Year, are gathering for funerals instead.

The Minab School Massacre

On the first morning of the war, a US missile struck the Shajareh Tayyebeh girls’ elementary school in Minab three separate times. The roof collapsed on students mid-lesson. More than 175 people were killed — the majority schoolgirls between the ages of 7 and 12, along with their teachers, the school principal, and parents who had come to collect their children. A preliminary US military investigation found the strike was likely caused by outdated intelligence that failed to account for a wall built between the school and a nearby military compound in 2016. President Trump stated he was unaware of these findings and declined to accept responsibility. The United Nations called it “a grave assault on children, on education, and on the future of an entire community.” Human Rights Watch has called for it to be investigated as a war crime.

The Sinking of the IRIS Dena

On March 4, a US Navy submarine torpedoed and sank the Iranian frigate IRIS Dena in international waters off the coast of Sri Lanka — 2,000 miles from Iran’s shores. The ship was returning from a ceremonial international fleet review hosted by India. It sank within three minutes, with no prior warning given. At least 87 sailors were killed and approximately 60 others were lost at sea out of around 180 crew members on board. Iran’s Foreign Minister called it “an atrocity at sea.” It was the first time a US submarine has sunk an enemy warship since World War II — a threshold that speaks to the unprecedented and expanding scale of this conflict.

The Destruction of Cultural Heritage

This war is not only killing people. It is erasing thousands of years of human civilization. Iran’s Ministry of Cultural Heritage reports at least 56 museums, historical monuments, and cultural sites damaged since the war began. UNESCO has verified damage to the Golestan Palace in Tehran, the Chehel Sotoun Palace, Iran’s oldest Friday mosque (Masjed-e Jāme), and sites near the Khorramabad Valley with evidence of human occupation stretching back 63,000 years. In Isfahan — described by its own governor as “a museum without a roof” — strikes damaged Naqsh-e Jahan Square, the Ali Qapu Palace, and a 17th-century fresco that cracked through the middle. These are not buildings. They are the accumulated memory of human civilization. They cannot be rebuilt.

UNESCO had provided all parties with the geographical coordinates of protected sites before the war began. The damage continued regardless. Defense Secretary Hegseth declared that the US would operate without “stupid rules of engagement” — the very frameworks that exist to protect schools, hospitals, and cultural sites under international humanitarian law.

The Threat to Power Infrastructure

President Trump has publicly threatened to “hit and obliterate” Iran’s power plants. Striking civilian energy infrastructure would knock out hospitals and life-support systems, destroy refrigerated medicines, and collapse water treatment and sanitation services across the country. This would constitute collective punishment of an entire civilian population — a clear violation of international law and a guarantee of mass preventable death.

Our Demands

We call on all parties and the international community to act immediately:

• Ceasefire now. All attacks on civilian areas, schools, hospitals, and infrastructure must stop immediately.• No strikes on power plants. The threatened destruction of Iran’s energy infrastructure must be categorically ruled out.
• Protect cultural heritage. The 1954 Hague Convention protections for Iran’s irreplaceable heritage sites must be enforced.
• Independent war crimes investigations. The Minab school massacre, the sinking of the IRIS Dena, and all strikes on civilian infrastructure must be investigated by international bodies including the ICC.
• Restore humanitarian access. Internet blackouts and restrictions on aid organizations and journalists must end immediately.
• Return to diplomacy. All parties must pursue a negotiated ceasefire without preconditions.
 

War is not a solution. It deepens tragedy, destroys what cannot be rebuilt, and harms those who are least responsible.

No more war. No more civilian deaths. Protect what we cannot replace. Choose peace.