In a statement released on Thursday, Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baqaei said the attack on the UNRWA compound and the damage inflicted on its facilities constituted a grave violation, stressing that UN premises, property, and personnel enjoy immunity under international instruments, particularly the Convention on the Privileges and Immunities of the United Nations, as well as the rules of international humanitarian law.

He described the attack on the UNRWA headquarters and the occupation of its buildings as a criminal act and an unprecedented infringement against the United Nations, noting that such actions require an effective and responsible response from the international community, especially the UN itself.

Referring to the ongoing genocide of the Palestinian people, the Iranian spokesperson said the Zionist regime’s destruction of the UNRWA headquarters was part of a systematic policy aimed at depriving Palestinians of even the most basic humanitarian services.

He also underlined the responsibility of the Israeli regime’s supporters, particularly the United States, the United Kingdom, and Germany, in creating and sustaining the current situation.

Baqaei further pointed to the continuation of lawlessness and crimes by the Israeli regime in occupied Palestine and the West Asia region, warning that continued inaction in the face of such dangerous measures has not only further undermined the effectiveness and credibility of the United Nations, but has also exposed international peace and stability to unprecedented threats.

The bulldozing of the headquarters of UNRWA in occupied East Jerusalem has sparked condemnation from the UN and Palestinian leaders, who warn the move signals a “barbaric new era” of unchecked defiance of international law.

Israeli forces, accompanied by far-right National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir, stormed the compound in the Sheikh Jarrah neighborhood on Tuesday, demolishing structures and confiscating equipment. Ben-Gvir described the destruction as a “historic day”.

Philippe Lazzarini, UNRWA’s commissioner general, said the operation was a “wake-up call” for the world.

“This constitutes an unprecedented attack against a United Nations agency and its premises,” Lazzarini wrote on X. “What happens today to UNRWA will happen tomorrow to any other international organization or diplomatic mission… anywhere around the world.”