Iran says US strike near children's cancer hospital in Ahvaz forced evacuation of 211 patients

Iran has accused the United States of carrying out a strike near a children's cancer hospital in the southwestern city of Ahvaz, saying the blast was close enough to force an emergency evacuation. Iranian officials said 211 patients undergoing chemotherapy were moved from Shahid Baghaei Specialised Hospital after the attack. A doctor at the treatment centre said the explosion was intense and so close that staff initially thought the hospital itself had been hit.

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Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baghaei described the attack as a barbaric act and called it a cowardly war crime. In a post on X, he said the strike caused severe suffering and anxiety among hospitalised children and forced the evacuation of the facility. Hospital manager Dr Majid Bou'azar said the 211 patients were relocated because of the strikes, while another staff member said some of those moved were on oxygen and ventilators.

The hospital is a specialised treatment centre for children with cancer, making the disruption especially significant for patients who require continuous care. Staff described children being moved while some were in wheelchairs, some carried by parents, and others attached to intravenous lines. Earlier, hospital director Reza Bazar said attacks on Ahvaz had put the hospital out of service, according to local reporting.

The incident has added to concerns that the conflict could widen further and make any negotiated settlement harder to reach. The row comes as both sides continue to trade accusations over attacks on military and civilian targets, and as Gulf states remain on alert over the risk of escalation. Iranian officials have linked the strike to broader claims that healthcare facilities are being targeted in the conflict, drawing a comparison with damage to medical sites in Gaza.

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The United States did not comment specifically on the hospital incident, but said it launched another wave of attacks on Iran on Thursday. Iran said in response that it targeted US military sites in Jordan and Kuwait. President Donald Trump has also threatened further strikes on Iranian power plants and bridges if Tehran does not return to talks, while Iran has warned it could respond by targeting civilian infrastructure in neighbouring Gulf countries.

What remains unclear is the exact target of the strike near the hospital and whether the facility itself was directly hit. It is also not clear how long the hospital will remain disrupted or when the evacuated patients will be able to return. The immediate focus is on the condition of the children moved from the centre and whether the latest exchange of attacks will further derail efforts to end the conflict.

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