25/03/2026

WEDNESDAY | MAR 25, 2026

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Reparations for Iran War U NDER the Articles on Responsibility of States for Internationally Wrongful Acts (2001), adopted by the damage suffered. Iran’s ultimate position on this issue is, therefore, likely to be a significant aspect of the war’s aftermath.

International Court of Justice (ICJ) or a specialised compensation commission, the “amount” would likely be based on historical benchmarks. The total amount could be staggering, combining: 0 direct physical repairs to damaged infrastructure; 0 environmental cleanup for “ecocide”; and 0 compensation for civilian loss of life Estimates suggest a global figure potentially exceeding hundreds of billions of US dollars, reflecting the scale of modern infrastructure destruction. Iran has also argued that US “maximum pressure” campaigns constitute economic warfare. Some Iranian officials cite damages exceeding US$1 trillion (RM3.91 trillion), including lost oil revenue, industrial stagnation and widespread social and economic disruptions affecting health, education and utilities. It should be noted that the United Nations Compensation Commission, established in 1991, provided reparations for damages resulting from Iraq’s 1990–1991 invasion and occupation of Kuwait. The commission awarded approximately US$3 billion for environmental remediation, including groundwater treatment and desert restoration. By 2022, the UNCC had disbursed over US$50 billion in total compensation to individuals, corporations and governments, with the final payment made in early 2022, effectively concluding the compensation process. While the US and Israel maintain that their strikes are legally justified as “preemptive self-defence” or “maximum pressure”, international law experts contest this, labelling the February 2026 strikes as violations of Article 2(4) of the UN Charter. The continuing bombardment may even be interpreted as genocide, defined under international law as acts committed with the intent to destroy, in whole or in part, a national, ethnical, racial or religious group. commonly known as Pisa, Malaysia ranked 53rd out of 81 participating countries, recording a scientific literacy score of 416. This represents a worrying gap of 69 points below the OECD average of 485. Furthermore, the Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study or TIMSS placed Malaysia 26th out of 39 countries in recent evaluation cycles. These figures highlight a critical deficit in higher order thinking skills compared to peers in top-tier nations. High-performing countries in these assessments, such as Singapore, Finland and South Korea, do not bombard their students with endless hours of rote memorisation; instead, they employ efficient, continuous blocks of time dedicated to deep, inquiry-based learning that our current system has historically lacked. The Malaysian school timetable has long balanced a heavy load of

Category

Reported Estimate

Source

Civilian Structures Damaged

42,914 buildings

Iranian Red Crescent Society

As of March 2026, Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian has called on the US and Israel to pay reparations and provide guarantees against future aggression as core Araghchi has reinforced this position, asserting that “reparations will be paid” and demanding a permanent end to attacks, not just a temporary ceasefire. Iran has also sought compensation from Bahrain and the United Arab Emirates, alleging that their territories were used to facilitate US-Israeli strikes in violation of international law, resulting in material and moral damages. Estimated damage and casualty metrics (mid-March) Under international law, reparations typically cover restitution, monetary compensation and guarantees against future violations. While a final, fully verified total from Iran will only be available after the war, existing data – including assessments from US and Israeli sources monitoring the impact of their bombing strikes – provides an indication of the scale of potential claims. Direct civilian damage and human casualties This category covers the physical destruction of property and the human cost of the conflict, which are central to any war reparations claim. Reports indicate highly significant damage, though the exact numbers vary by source. Iran’s Foreign Ministry has characterised strikes on fuel depots in Tehran as “ecocide”, citing long term health and environmental damage. Historical precedents If Iran were to pursue these claims through a mechanism such as the R T A K E G H E E conditions for ending the conflict. Foreign Minister Abbas

International Law Commission, a State that commits an internationally wrongful act is obliged to make full reparation for the injury caused. This principle applies to any such act, including, where applicable, violations arising from the unlawful use of force (Articles 1, 31, 34 and 35). When asked by a reporter during Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi’s visit why US allies in Europe and Asia, including Japan, were not informed in advance of the attack on Iran, Trump replied: “One thing you don’t want to signal too much,” he said, adding that the operation was carried out forcefully and without prior notice for that reason. He then drew a comparison, remarking: “Who knows better about surprise than Japan? Why didn’t you tell me about Pearl Harbour?” The surprise Japanese attack on the US naval base at Pearl Harbour, Hawaii, on Dec 7, 1941, killed 2,390 Americans and prompted the US to declare war on Japan the following day. Then president, Franklin D. Roosevelt, described it as “a date which will live in infamy”. Supporting Trump, his son Eric posted on the social media platform X, calling it “one of the great responses to a reporter in history”. However, Trump failed to emphasise that the strike was not only an act of war but was launched at a time when the US and Iran were engaged in negotiations aimed at addressing American concerns about Iran’s nuclear capability. state responsibility recognise that a country subjected to an unlawful or “surprise” military strike – such as those launched by Japan and Germany during the Second World War – may seek reparations for the A N O T B Y L I M Likely flashpoint after the war Historical precedent and international law on

22,000 buildings

UN International Organisation for Migration

E

H

Breakdown of 36,489 residential units;

Official data from Iranian

Damaged Structures

6,179 commercial facilities Red Crescent Society

10,000 homes damaged in Anadolu Ajans Õ Tehran alone

T

K

E

C

Civilian

Over 1,245 killed; over

US-based Human Rights Activists News Agency and Amnesty International

Casualties 12,000 injured

Attacks on Civilian

Schools, hospitals, cultural Multiple reporting

heritage sites

agencies

Infrastructure and critical infrastructure; a specific attack on a girls’ school in Minab killed at least 168 people Infrastructure Strikes targeted nuclear

Historical precedent

& Military Assets

facilities, missile production and official reports

sites and air defence systems across 9,000 sites; rebuilding modern military and nuclear infrastructure is estimated in the tens of billions of dollars (for example, Kharg Island) were hit; long-term health, environmental and revenue losses are projected in the hundreds of millions per day. Broader economic disruption - manufacturing, agriculture, services and infrastructure

Economic & Fuel depots and energy

Iranian Foreign Ministry and economic assessments

Energy Damages

trade - would add significantly to any reparations claim

administration and the American public in more ways than just the moral and ethical concerns. LimTeck Ghee’s Another Take is aimed at demystifying social orthodoxy. Comments: letters@thesundaily.com

Trump’s admission that the strike on Iran was a surprise attack, likened to Japan’s Pearl Harbour assault, leaves no doubt as to who started the war and is the belligerent. How much this surprise attack and continuing war will cost the US may come back to haunt Trump, his

COMMENT by Dr Muhammad Ammirrul Atiqi Mohd Zainuri

Recalibrating classroom hours for STEM education

hours weekly, while those in advanced science and technology streams need 16 to 18 hours. Crucially, these should be delivered in uninterrupted 90- to 120 minute blocks to support project based learning, coding and collaborative lab work aligned with real-world practices. Ultimately, meeting hour targets alone will not produce the engineers and data scientists Malaysia needs. Quality matters. Time must shift from rote tasks to interdisciplinary projects, robotics and critical thinking – supported by strong infrastructure, modern labs and well trained teachers. Dr Muhammad Ammirrul Atiqi Mohd Zainuri is a senior lecturer at the Faculty of Engineering and Built Environment, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia. Comments: letters@thesundaily.com

core diluting meaningful STEM immersion in the early years. While the 2027 curriculum’s allocation of 3.5 hours of mathematics for lower primary is a strong start, achieving high-income status demands a more balanced “golden ratio” across all STEM areas. Global benchmarks suggest that primary students should receive seven to nine hours of foundational STEM weekly – four to five hours of applied mathematics and three to four hours of integrated science and digital literacy. This will ensure an intuitive grasp of logic and scientific inquiry early on, dedicating roughly 30% of learning time to STEM instead of fragmenting lessons into short periods that limit depth. At the secondary level, the focus shifts to application. Core STEM students should receive eight to 10 subjects, often

needed to build a future-ready workforce. The crux of the matter is not just about incrementally extending the school day but rather about calculating the precise number of hours and the quality of instruction that will generate a profound impact on a student’s ability to innovate, solve complex problems and ultimately drive the country’s economic leap. To see why recalculating STEM hours is urgent, we must face Malaysia’s current global standing – recent international assessments paint a sobering picture that demands immediate structural action. In the 2022 Programme for International Student Assessment,

AS our nation pursues its transition into a high-income, tech-driven economy, a critical spotlight is falling on the classroom, specifically regarding the amount of time Malaysian students spend on science, technology, engineering and mathematics or better known as STEM. This has gained immense traction with the Education Ministry recently announcing an increase in mathematics instruction time to 608 hours under the upcoming 2027 curriculum, effectively bumping weekly math lessons up to 3.5 hours for early primary students. Educators, parents and policymakers are vigorously debating the exact instructional formula