The UN special rapporteur on Iran has condemned recent US and Israeli strikes in Iran as "unlawful" and warned that the escalation is worsening an already severe human rights situation in the country.

Mai Sato told the Human Rights Council in Geneva on Monday that the attacks violate international law regardless of their stated objectives.

"I have condemned the US and Israel's attacks as unlawful under the UN Charter last year and this time again, the strikes remain unlawful no matter the assumed or stated objectives," she said.

Sato said the humanitarian impact is already significant.

"The human cost of the current strikes is already severe. Over 1,000 civilians have reportedly been killed," she said, adding that a primary school had been struck while hospitals and World Heritage sites were also damaged.

She also warned that strikes on oil infrastructure have caused toxic environmental consequences with potential long-term public health effects.

The special rapporteur stressed the escalation is occurring in a country already facing widespread repression.

"I warned then that by the end of 2025 the number of executions could exceed 1,000—in the end, over 1,600 people were executed in 2025," she said.

Sato also cited civil society reports of more than 7,000 deaths linked to nationwide protests, the detention of tens of thousands of protesters, and arrests of lawyers and medical professionals who treated injured demonstrators.

She said around 3 million people are temporarily displaced inside Iran and warned that internet shutdowns have further isolated the population.

"If we put the people of Iran at the heart of any solution, the military escalation must stop, and all parties must resume diplomatic dialogue immediately," she said.