US Strikes Reported Near Children’s Cancer Hospital in Iran’s Ahvaz
Tehran, July 16: A children’s cancer hospital in the southwestern Iranian city of Ahvaz was evacuated after explosions from reported US missile strikes shook the surrounding area, according to Iranian authorities and local media.
The incident was reported during a wider round of American military action across Iran. Explosions were heard in several cities on Wednesday night after the United States Central Command announced another wave of operations against Iranian military capabilities.
Iranian reports identified the affected medical facility as Boghayi Hospital 2, which treats cancer patients, including children. Hossein Kermanpour, an official at Iran’s Ministry of Health and Medical Education, said missiles struck locations close to the hospital rather than the medical building itself.
Kermanpour said the force of the explosions and the resulting tremors frightened patients, relatives and staff. Most patients and attendants subsequently left the building, while those considered too seriously ill to be moved remained inside.
There was no independently verified evidence indicating that the hospital was deliberately targeted. The exact distance between the reported impact sites and the medical facility was also not immediately established.
Iranian media said explosions were reported in Ahvaz as well as several other locations, including Chabahar, Bandar Abbas, Rask and Konarak. A projectile was reported to have landed near Bandar Abbas, a strategically important port city close to the Strait of Hormuz.
Reports also emerged of damage to an industrial site in Qeshm, in Hormozgan province. Iranian state broadcasting said part of a fish-powder production facility in Souza was damaged. Local authorities said the affected section was unoccupied at the time and that no injuries were recorded.
US Central Command said the latest strikes were directed at Iranian military assets allegedly connected to threats against commercial and military vessels operating in the Strait of Hormuz.
The strategically important waterway connects the Persian Gulf with the Gulf of Oman and serves as a major route for international energy shipments. US officials have said recent military operations are intended to weaken Iran’s coastal defence systems, missile infrastructure and ability to disrupt maritime traffic.
The United States has expanded its military campaign across different parts of Iran, targeting missile facilities, air-defence systems and coastal positions. The latest strikes have taken place amid renewed attacks and counterattacks between Washington and Tehran, raising concerns about a broader regional confrontation.
Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps said it would continue responding to American military action. An IRGC spokesperson said Iranian operations were targeting US military infrastructure in the region and warned that further retaliation could follow.
Iran subsequently claimed responsibility for missile and drone operations directed at US-linked military locations in Jordan, Bahrain and Kuwait. Iranian officials connected some of those actions to the reported strikes near the Ahvaz hospital and other civilian areas.
The competing claims from Washington and Tehran could not all be independently verified. Communication restrictions, continuing military activity and limited access to affected locations have made it difficult to establish a complete account of casualties and damage.
The reported evacuation in Ahvaz has nevertheless renewed concern over the growing danger to hospitals, patients and other civilians as strikes move closer to populated areas.
International humanitarian principles require all parties in armed conflict to distinguish between military targets and civilian infrastructure. Medical facilities and patients receive special protection, although those protections may become disputed when military activity is alleged near civilian locations.
As of Thursday, US authorities had not publicly confirmed the specific incident near Boghayi Hospital 2 or addressed Iranian allegations concerning the evacuation. The situation remained tense, with further military exchanges feared across Iran and neighbouring countries.
