Asian Muslim Action Network (AMAN) expresses its grave concern over the escalating military confrontations in the Middle East involving the United States, Israel, and Iran. The recent exchanges of attacks and counterattacks risk widening an already volatile regional crisis and threaten to destabilize not only the Middle East but also the broader Asian region.
Responding to this situation, AMAN firmly states that war is not a solution. Military escalation, retaliation, and the logic of deterrence through force will only deepen humanitarian suffering, disrupt global economic stability, and increase the likelihood of a wider regional or even global confrontation. Civilian populations, as always, bear the heaviest burden of such conflicts.
Even in normal circumstances, women and girls in Iran are vulnerable to layered forms of violence. Structural violence continues to severely restrict their freedom of movement and expression. The government and security forces systematically discriminate against women and girls in both law and practice, including restrictions on freedom of expression, assembly, and participation in social and political life, as well as the enforcement of discriminatory policies that ultimately serve to entrench and consolidate state power over women’s bodies and lives.
For example, the violent raid in Gunich Village (2025), carried out in a coordinated operation by Iranian Security Forces, resulted in the deaths of two women, at least ten women injured, and among the injured were four girls under the age of 18. A pregnant woman reportedly suffered a miscarriage due to her injuries.
In situations of war, the condition of women and girls becomes even more severe. Armed conflict deepens pre-existing gender inequalities, restricts access to healthcare services—including reproductive health—and weakens protection systems for survivors of violence. Humanitarian assistance that is not gender-responsive or gender-sensitive further exacerbates their vulnerability. Amid collapsing infrastructure and weakened legal systems, women and girls face heightened risks of gender-based and sexual violence, exploitation, and long-term trauma with intergenerational consequences.
The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) issued an official statement that military escalation in the Middle East triggers potentially devastating consequences for civilians and civilian infrastructure. Unfortunately, compliance with international humanitarian law remains weak in ensuring protection for civilian populations, including homes, schools, and healthcare facilities from being targeted in attacks.
The Iranian Red Crescent Society (IRCS) — a national humanitarian organization in Iran — reported 201 people killed and 747 injured as a result of joint U.S.–Israel strikes in Iran. On 28 February 2026, an airstrike destroyed a girls’ elementary school in Minab, Iran, resulting in approximately 165 fatalities and dozens more injured — the majority of them female students.
Beyond numbers, the conflict has further worsened conditions for Iranians. The reality faced by the Iranian people today is not merely a political issue, but an existential dilemma: being trapped between a government widely perceived as morally and politically bankrupt, and the fear of state collapse resulting from external intervention—that in many cases have led to chaos and prolonged instability. Amid deep disappointment with the regime and distrust of foreign powers, many citizens live cautiously—not because they agree, but because they understand that the collapse of a state without a safe transition could bring even greater suffering.
Otherwise, an Israeli woman died and at least 20 others were injured In Tel Aviv during the retaliatory attack on the same day, as reported by the New York Post. Moreover, the impact of the conflict has even extended to shaking the economic stability of countries worldwide, as Major Middle Eastern airports, including Dubai – the world’s busiest international hub – closed for a third consecutive day amid the most acute aviation shock since the Covid-19 pandemic paralysed the industry. Flights across the Middle East have been cancelled, disrupting thousands of services so far, as international carriers continued to suspend their services. According to the tracking platform FlightAware, almost 2,800 flights were cancelled on Saturday and 3,156 cancelled on Sunday, 01 March 2026.
In this chaotic circumstance, we do not align ourselves with any military bloc or geopolitical axis. Our position is principled and consistent: we reject war as a means of resolving political disputes. We call upon all parties involved to immediately exercise maximum restraint, cease further escalation, and return to diplomatic channels.
AMAN strongly urges that multilateral mechanisms be fully activated. The United Nations system, regional diplomatic platforms, and international legal frameworks must not be sidelined. Negotiation, mediation, and confidence-building measures are the only sustainable paths toward de-escalation.
We particularly call upon regional institutions in Asia to remain vigilant and proactive. The Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) must consolidate its diplomatic voice to prevent spillover effects into Southeast Asia. Escalation in the Middle East has direct consequences for energy security, trade routes, social cohesion, and inter-state relations in our region.
Similarly, South Asian regional mechanisms must prioritize stability and prevent entanglement in external military alignments. Escalation risks drawing in major regional actors, which could transform a localized conflict into a broader inter-regional confrontation. Asia must not become an extended theater of war.
AMAN emphasizes that Asian nations share a responsibility to uphold peace, strategic restraint, and diplomatic engagement. The future of Asia should be defined by cooperation, development, and shared prosperity — not by imported wars or geopolitical rivalries.
We reaffirm our commitment to peace, justice, human dignity, and multilateral diplomacy. We stand for de-escalation, dialogue, and a just international order grounded in law rather than force.
War must stop. Diplomacy must lead.
Contact:
Kamaruzzaman Bustamam Ahmad — President of AMAN International
abahshatilla@gmail.com
(+62) 811-6816-800
Dwi Rubiyanti Kholifah — General Secretary of AMAN International & Country Representative of AMAN Indonesia
dwiruby@amanindonesia.org
(+62) 812-8944-8741