Iran has accused the United States of committing a “cowardly war crime” by striking near a children’s cancer hospital and compared its actions to Israel’s targeting of healthcare facilities in Gaza.
Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baghaei said in a post on X on Thursday that the US carried out a “barbaric” attack and 211 patients “undergoing chemotherapy” were evacuated from Shahid Baghaei Specialised Hospital in the southwestern city of Ahvaz.
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A doctor at the treatment centre told reporters the blast was “intense” and “so close” that they thought the hospital had been hit.
“This barbaric attack, reminiscent of Israel’s atrocities against healthcare facilities, caused severe suffering and anxiety upon the hospitalised children, and forced the emergency evacuation,” said Baghaei.
“This constitutes a cowardly war crime against the most innocent of human beings – children who are bravely fighting for their lives.”
Dr Majid Bou’azar, manager of the hospital, told Al Jazeera the 211 patients “were forced to relocate” because of the strikes.
“These are special patients, including cancer patients, who are hospitalised here … Some of the patients [were] on oxygen and ventilators,” another staff member told Al Jazeera. “Some people had children in their arms, some had IVs in their hands, and some were in wheelchairs.”
Earlier, hospital Director Reza Bazar said US attacks on Ahvaz city had put the hospital out of service, Fars news agency reported.
The attacks have deepened concerns that the war could spiral out of control and significantly delay a negotiated settlement to permanently end the conflict, which began almost five months ago.
‘Bitter memory’ of Minab attack
The US did not comment on the hospital strike, but said it launched another wave of attacks on Iran on Thursday. Tehran, meanwhile, said it targeted US military sites in Jordan and Kuwait, as Gulf leaders remain on high alert over fears the fighting could escalate to potentially catastrophic levels.
President Donald Trump has threatened to strike Iranian power plants and bridges next week if Tehran does not return to talks. Iran has warned it will respond in kind by targeting civilian infrastructure in neighbouring Gulf countries.
Deliberately attacking civilian infrastructure is illegal under international law and in most instances constitutes a war crime.
Iran’s Baghaei condemned what Iran calls a double standard, where countries in the Global South are expected to adhere to international law during armed conflict, while those in the Global North openly threaten to commit war crimes.
“Those who ceaselessly preach human rights, yet deliberately turn a blind eye to the targeting of hospitals and health centres, have forfeited every shred of moral credibility,” he said.
His comments were echoed by Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, who accused Washington of “war crimes” in a post on Telegram on Thursday. Araghchi denounced US attacks on civilian infrastructure as “undoubtedly a flagrant violation of the United Nations Charter and the fundamental principles of international law”.
Tehran has also been accused of violating the laws of war. Earlier, Saudi Arabia described Iran’s strikes in Bahrain, Jordan and Kuwait as “treacherous”. Iran insists it has targeted only US military assets. However, evidence has emerged suggesting that Iranian strikes have also damaged civilian infrastructure in Gulf countries.
Reporting from Tehran, Al Jazeera’s Resul Serdar said Iranian officials have reported that 17 hospitals were severely damaged during the current war and the previous conflict in June last year.
“This hospital [in Ahvaz] was designed for children with cancer, so an attack in the vicinity of this hospital is reminding Iranians of the bitter memory of the Minab primary school,” he said, referring to the school in southern Iran the US and Israel bombed on the first day of the war, killing at least 168 children.
Evidence suggests the US was responsible for the strike, and Democratic senators are pressuring the Trump administration to publish the results of an investigation into the incident within the next week.
Amnesty International has concluded that Washington was responsible, saying it was, at best, “a shameful intelligence failure” and, at worst, “a reckless and indiscriminate attack”.
