SOUTHERN Iran, along the Persian Gulf, has borne the brunt of the recent US attacks, causing immense suffering for ordinary people.

Living through temperatures of 40-50°C while enduring power cuts caused by the bombings is almost unimaginable at the height of summer.

Yet that is now the reality for many after vital infrastructure, including civilian bridges and fishing boats essential to the livelihoods of coastal communities, was bombed.

Whatever justification has been offered for the attacks on Iran, whether the alleged nuclear threat or keeping the Strait of Hormuz open, what is beyond dispute is the damage they have inflicted on the country's infrastructure and on the daily lives of ordinary Iranians.

One of the most alarming consequences of these attacks, beyond the immense suffering they have caused for ordinary Iranians, has been the strengthening of one of the world's most repressive regimes.

The almost daily executions of those arrested during the January 2026 protests, as well as those involved in the 2022 Woman, Life, Freedom movement, have become the norm. Silencing criticism under the shadow of war, while international attention is focused on the Strait of Hormuz and the wider conflict, has become a central goal of the theocratic regime.

Like many dictatorships, it has used the war to rally its supporters while preventing any form of protest from taking place. This is one of the many reasons wars are so destructive. Once unleashed, they create cycles of retaliation and revenge in which the pursuit of power too often takes precedence over human life.

The New Zealand government has not condemned the attacks by the US and Israel on Iran. It remained silent when the attacks began in June 2025, remained silent after the renewed attacks on February 28 2026, and has again failed to condemn the latest US strikes.

New Zealand is not alone in its muted response. Much of the international community appears to have reacted in much the same way.

Instead of responding consistently to violations of international law, the suffering of civilians, and the destruction of vital infrastructure, too many governments have viewed the war on Iran through the lens of geopolitical alliances and strategic interests.

For many, regional security calculations have taken precedence over universal human rights. The result has been a troubling silence or, at times, even justification in the face of actions that would likely have drawn widespread condemnation had they occurred elsewhere.

When geopolitical loyalties become more important than principle, universal values cease to be universal.

This is where New Zealand's foreign policy now finds itself. By remaining silent, or by condemning only one side of the conflict, we risk falling short of the principles that have shaped some of New Zealand's most respected foreign policy positions.

Yet New Zealand has shown principled leadership before, whether through its nuclear-free stance or its condemnation of Russia's invasion of Ukraine. That is why its silence on Iran is so difficult to reconcile with those same principles.

The longer the international community allows alleged violations of international humanitarian law to continue without speaking out, the more normalised they become. When actions carry no consequences, there is little incentive for them to stop.

Our silence signals that there will be no accountability and that impunity can prevail.

It is time to ask what we are legitimising through our silence. If we rightly refuse to stand with Iran's theocratic dictatorship because of its repression and its role in this destructive conflict, then we must apply exactly the same standard to every state that causes devastation and suffering.

Human rights cease to be universal the moment we apply them selectively.

Appeasing those who disregard international law and human life does not make us safer; it simply emboldens them. History shows that states willing to inflict immense suffering without regard for humanity rarely change course simply because others remain silent.

Silence does not encourage restraint. It encourages impunity. This is how cycles of violence become perpetual.

Our commitment to humanity cannot be selective. If we abandon our principles whenever they become politically inconvenient, they cease to be principles at all.

It is time for New Zealand to stand consistently for humanity, international law and universal human

rights, no matter who violates them.

Aida Tavassoli is a former National Council of Women board member and a founding member of the Iranian Solidarity Group Aotearoa New Zealand.