A series of powerful explosions occurred in Iran's capital Tehran and in several other cities, including Ahvaz and Saqqez in the southwest of the country. Iranian and international media report a new wave of strikes affecting residential and commercial areas in western and southwestern Tehran. Local sources circulated video footage showing the aftermath of shelling, especially in Ilam province.
U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) said it has struck more than 3,000 targets inside Iran since the start of the conflict, including command centers, air defense systems and missile sites. U.S. forces also reported destroying 43 Iranian military vessels. At the same time, Israel announced strikes on more than 400 targets in western Iran, targeting ballistic missile installations and drone warehouses, allegedly in support of opposition groups.
According to Iranian authorities, material damage is enormous: since the start of the campaign seven days ago, 390 housing units, 528 commercial centers and 13 medical facilities have been damaged or destroyed. The deputy governor of Isfahan said that as a result of last Friday’s attacks alone eight people were killed and 80 houses damaged. Videos from Ilam and Tehran show destroyed residential neighborhoods, heightening concerns about the impact on civilian infrastructure.
The civilian death toll continues to rise. Iran’s ambassador to the UN said that at least 1,332 Iranian citizens have been killed in the strikes and thousands wounded. UN Secretary‑General spokesman Stéphane Dujarric confirmed that about 180 children have been victims of U.S. and Israeli attacks, including 168 girls killed in the strike on a primary school in late February. Surveillance cameras also captured the moment a boys’ school in Qazvin was hit.
U.S. media, citing administration sources, report that President Donald Trump privately expressed serious interest in deploying U.S. ground troops on Iranian soil. Against the backdrop of ongoing strikes, rising casualties and destruction in several Iranian cities, regional and international concerns about an escalation of the conflict and its impact on civilians are growing.
News comments
What strategic or symbolic significance do the cities of Ahvaz and Saqqez in southwestern Iran, mentioned as targets of the strikes, have? - Ahvaz is the capital of Khuzestan province, a center of Iran’s oil and gas industry, with a predominantly Arab population and a history of separatist sentiments. Saqqez is located in Kurdistan and is a center of Kurdish cultural and political activity. Both cities symbolize regions of ethnic minorities with long-standing tensions with the central government.
Who are the “opposition groups” in western Iran that Israel says its strikes are supporting? - These are mainly Kurdish opposition groups (for example, the Democratic Party of Iranian Kurdistan), which advocate greater rights for Kurds or autonomy, as well as possible Arab separatist movements in Khuzestan. They operate in border areas and periodically clash with Iranian security forces.
What is Ilam province like in terms of geography and significance in Iran? - Ilam is a border province in western Iran, bordering Iraq. It has strategic importance for border control and is mostly populated by Kurds and Lurs. During the Iran‑Iraq War (1980–1988) fierce fighting took place there, and it remains a region with heightened military activity and smuggling routes.
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