US Strike Near Iranian Children's Cancer Hospital Sparks International Outrage

211 Young Cancer Patients Evacuated in the Night

Residents of Ahvaz reported hearing multiple explosions on Wednesday night as US strikes targeted several parts of the southwestern Iranian city, including areas near a children's cancer hospital. What followed was a scene that has shocked observers around the world. According to Iranian officials, 211 patients were evacuated — including those receiving chemotherapy, others dependent on oxygen therapy, and some requiring mechanical respiratory support. Many were moved while still connected to IV drips or ventilators; others were carried out in wheelchairs or held in caregivers' arms.

Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baqaei said that Shahid Baqaei Hospital, a pediatric cancer treatment center, was evacuated overnight after the United States struck a nearby location. A doctor at the treatment center told reporters the blast was "intense" and "so close" that they thought the hospital had been hit. Ahvaz University of Medical Sciences confirmed the hospital had been temporarily taken out of service after explosions in adjacent areas.

Tehran Calls It a War Crime

Iran accused the United States of committing a "cowardly war crime" by striking near the children's cancer hospital and compared its actions to Israel's targeting of healthcare facilities in Gaza. The language from Tehran was unsparing. Baqaei called it "a cowardly war crime against the most innocent of human beings — children who are bravely fighting for their lives."

His comments were echoed by Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, who accused Washington of "war crimes" in a post on Telegram on Thursday. Araghchi denounced US attacks on civilian infrastructure as "undoubtedly a flagrant violation of the United Nations Charter and the fundamental principles of international law." Baqaei also condemned what Iran calls a double standard, where countries in the Global South are expected to adhere to international law during armed conflict, while those in the Global North openly threaten to commit war crimes.

A Conflict With a Growing Human Cost

Iran's Health Ministry said the latest wave of US strikes pushed the number of injured to more than 300 by midday Wednesday, while 35 people had been killed. Among those killed were two women and one teenager under the age of 18. Iranian officials have reported that 17 hospitals were severely damaged during the current war and the previous conflict in June last year.

The attack near the Ahvaz hospital is reminding Iranians of the Minab primary school — a school in southern Iran that the US and Israel bombed on the first day of the war, killing at least 168 children. The pattern of strikes near or on civilian institutions has become a defining and deeply contested feature of this conflict. The escalating tensions come amid broader fighting over the Strait of Hormuz, with the two sides exchanging attacks despite a Pakistani-mediated memorandum of understanding aimed at ending their conflict and reaching a lasting peace agreement.

Pressure Mounts for Accountability

Tehran has also been accused of violating the laws of war. Saudi Arabia described Iran's strikes in Bahrain, Jordan and Kuwait as "treacherous." Iran insists it has targeted only US military assets, though evidence has emerged suggesting that Iranian strikes have also damaged civilian infrastructure in Gulf countries.

Evidence suggests the US was responsible for the Ahvaz strike, and Democratic senators are now pressuring the Trump administration to publish the results of an investigation into the incident within the next week. As of now, Iranian authorities have reported no casualties directly tied to the hospital evacuation — though the facility remains out of service. With a peace framework already fragile and images of sick children being wheeled into the night now circulating globally, the pressure on both governments to answer hard questions about civilian protection has never been greater.