Mashhad urges global action on attacks against civilian infrastructure
According to a report by ANA News Agency, coinciding with the 13th World Urban Forum in Baku under the theme “Housing the World and Building Resilient Communities,” the Municipality of Mashhad—an active member of United Cities and Local Governments (UCLG) and a recognized actor in urban diplomacy—sent an official letter to senior United Nations officials, WUF organizers, and participating mayors.
In the letter, Mashhad referred to an airstrike on a school in Minab, Hormozgan Province, on February 28, 2026, which reportedly killed 176 children aged between 6 and 10, as well as extensive destruction of residential areas in Gaza and Lebanon.
It emphasized that protecting civilians and critical urban infrastructure constitutes both an “ethical and technical obligation” for cities worldwide.
The mayor of Mashhad proposed a five-point operational framework, including a protocol for protecting civilian facilities, the establishment of an independent fact-finding committee, a Baku-based urban reconstruction fund, support for International Criminal Court indictments against perpetrators of attacks on civilian areas, and an ethical commitment by municipalities to avoid contracts with arms companies involved in such incidents.
The letter concludes by calling on world cities to break silence on attacks against urban infrastructure, warning that inaction would amount to complicity in violations of human rights.
Open Letter to WUF13:
Protecting Urban Civilians is Protecting Humanity’s Future
Civilian Protection, Viability of Urban Life, and the Moral Imperative for Local Governance.To:• Her Excellency Ms. Anacláudia Rossbach, Executive Director of UN-Habitat•
His Excellency Mr. Anar Guliyev, National Coordinator and President of WUF13• Honorable Presidents of UCLG & Metropolis• All Honorable Mayors and Local Government Representatives attending WUF13
From: Mashhad Metropolitan Municipality (The Iranian Hub for City Diplomacy – An active UCLG/Metropolis member for over 20 years)Date: May 2026Subject: When Schools Become Battlefields – A Call to Safeguard Our Collective Urban Future
Dear Colleagues and Partners in the Global Urban Community,We convene in Baku to address “Housing the World” and “Resilient Communities.” However, the most pressing reality today is not about construction, but about destruction.
The rubble of a primary school in Minab, Iran, where 176 young innocent elementary students who were mostly females were innocently killed by U.S. aerial bombardment on February 28, 2026, stands as a stark symbol.
The Technical and Humanitarian RealityFor the past two years, the operational posture of the U.S. administration (under President Trump) and the Zionist regime have systematically degraded the urban infrastructure that we, as urban planners and local leaders, have dedicated decades to building. Our purpose here is not political debate, but to state a technical and humanitarian fact: The sustained military aggression in Gaza, Iran, and Lebanon have reclassified civilian settlements as legitimate military targets.
Consequently, the “right to adequate housing”—the foundational principle of WUF13—has been rendered inaccessible for millions.• In Gaza: Over 40,000 fatalities recorded, with widespread obliteration of residential areas.• In Iran (Minab): A school facility identified as the target of aerial bombardment, resulting in 176 student casualties. Aged 6 to 10.
The broader conflict reportedly inflicted damage nationwide, affecting 1,288 educational facilities (16 fully destroyed), 20 medical centers (with approximately 10 health personnel casualties), and a total of 36,593 civilian buildings.• In Lebanon: Significant damage to critical civilian infrastructure reported, compounded by widespread destruction of residential areas and displacement of tens of thousands of citizens, particularly in southern Lebanon, following escalations since late 2023.
Should the representatives of global cities remain passive in the face of attacks on educational facilities, our “Urban Forums” risk becoming mere platforms for performative discourse.Implications for All CitiesNon-action in the context of state-sanctioned military actions does not equate to neutrality.
It can be interpreted as tacit acceptance, potentially enabling further violations.If the international community accepts the targeting of a primary school in Iran with impunity, no city is fundamentally secure. The normalization of casualties among civilian populations, particularly children, presents a replicable model for future conflicts worldwide.
Our Actionable Framework (A Roadmap for Urban Governance)We seek unified, functional, humanitarian responses. Mashhad proposes the following 5-point framework to uphold the integrity of urban governance:
1. “Civilian Site Protection”Protocol: We urge UN-Habitat to establish an international registry of critical civilian infrastructure (schools, hospitals, water and sanitation facilities). Any state actor targeting these sites must be subject to automatic referral to the International Criminal Court (ICC) for investigation as a potential war crime.
2. Independent Investigative Mandate: We request the WUF13 Presidency to formally petition the UN Secretary-General to mandate an independent fact-finding mission to investigate the Minab school incident and the destruction of civilian housing in Gaza.
3. “Baku Fund for Urban Reconstruction”: We propose the immediate creation of a voluntary fund, administered
