'Cowardly Crime Against Children': Iran Slams US Attack Near Cancer Hospital

Iran on Thursday accused the United States of launching a "barbaric attack" after a fresh round of airstrikes overnight, some of which impacted a child cancer treatment department in Shahid Baghaei Hospital. The hospital which provided chemotherapy treatment for cancer patients, including children, had to be evacuated.

Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baqaei said that the attack was "reminiscent of Israel's atrocities against healthcare facilities". He said that the attack caused severe suffering and anxiety to the children who were hospitalised.

He posted on X claiming that 211 patients who were undergoing chemotherapy were evacuated.

Shahid Baqaei Hospital, a children's cancer treatment centre in Ahvaz, was evacuated last night after the US attacked a nearby location.

This barbaric attack, reminiscent of Israel's atrocities against healthcare facilities, caused severe suffering and anxiety upon the… pic.twitter.com/xv3W7SY2X9

— Esmaeil Baqaei (@IRIMFA_SPOX) July 16, 2026

"This constitutes a cowardly war crime against the most innocent of human beings - children who are bravely fighting for their lives," Baqaei wrote on X.

He added, "Those who ceaselessly preach human rights, yet deliberately turn a blind eye to the targeting of hospitals and health centers, have forfeited every shred of moral credibility."

In Iran, explosions were heard in several locations, including Qeshm Island, Bandar Abbas, Sirik, Chabahar, Konarak, Rask City, Khondab, and the western city of Khorramabad, according to a report by Al Jazeera.

Read | Iran Claims It Downed MQ-9 Drone As US Strikes Damage Children's Cancer Hospital

The American strikes also hit an Iranian army barracks, killing at least seven troops and wounding hundreds of people across the country, Iranian officials said. Overall, Tehran said at least 35 people have been killed, and more than 300 people have been injured in American strikes so far.  

US Central Command (CENTCOM) said it targeted Iranian military capabilities used to threaten vessels freely transiting the vital waterway. The US military also said one of its aircraft fired on and disabled an empty oil tanker that was trying to break the naval blockade of Iran's ports.

Iran's Response

In response, Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) said they targeted the US Fifth Fleet in Bahrain, where air sirens rang out as attacks against civilian targets were intercepted, while Jordan's armed forces said they had downed three missiles from the Islamic Republic.

IRGC also claimed it has intercepted and destroyed an "enemy" MQ-9 drone over the southwestern city of Andimeshk, according to the Tasnim news agency. The Iranian force said the aircraft was brought down by a new air defence system operated by its aerospace force.

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US-Iran Talks Still On

Despite renewed hostilities, mediated talks between the two sides have not formally ended. But Iran's top negotiator, Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, warned that "a memorandum of understanding only has meaning when its clauses are valid and being implemented".

"If Iran is not to derive any benefit from the memorandum of understanding, we have no reason to adhere," he said in a statement.