Overview
- US strikes near the Shahid Baghaei children’s cancer hospital in Ahvaz forced the emergency evacuation of 211 patients on Thursday, according to Iranian officials and footage from Iranian state media.
- Hospital staff said the blast was so close they feared the building had been hit and that some evacuated children were on oxygen or ventilators during the chaotic transfer to other facilities.
- Amnesty International and Iranian authorities attributed the hospital-area strike to US forces, calling it at best an intelligence failure and at worst a potential war crime, while US officials have not publicly addressed this specific incident.
- Reporting shows the strike came as US attacks widened to include sites near Tehran and civilian infrastructure in Semnan and Bushehr, signaling an expansion of the US campaign that has eroded a recent interim agreement.
- The incident has prompted calls from rights groups and some lawmakers for a prompt, transparent investigation and has heightened legal and diplomatic pressure that could increase the risk of broader regional escalation.