On Thursday, July 16th, 2026, Iran condemned a US strike near the Shahid Baghaei Specialised Hospital in Ahvaz, a facility dedicated to children with cancer. Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baghaei described the attack as "barbaric" and accused the United States of committing a "cowardly war crime," comparing the incident to Israel's targeting of healthcare facilities in Gaza.

The blast was so intense and close that medical staff initially feared the hospital itself had been hit. Dr. Majid Bou’azar, the hospital manager, told Al Jazeera that 211 patients undergoing chemotherapy were forced to evacuate and relocate due to the strikes.

Baghaei criticized what Iran perceives as a double standard in international law, where countries in the Global South are expected to comply with armed conflict regulations, while those in the Global North allegedly threaten to commit war crimes openly.

Reporting from Tehran, Al Jazeera’s Resul Serdar noted that Iranian officials have reported severe damage to 17 hospitals during the current conflict and a previous war in June last year. The attack near the Ahvaz hospital evoked painful memories of the Minab primary school bombing on the first day of the war, which killed at least 168 children.

Iran has also claimed strikes on US bases and warned of wider regional attacks, while allegations have surfaced about Israeli efforts to influence US opinion against diplomacy with Iran.

Sources