Iran says US strikes kill 55, injure 645 as conflict intensifies

TEHRAN: Iran’s Ministry of Health has claimed that at least 55 people were killed and 645 others injured in the latest wave of US military strikes across the country, as hostilities between Tehran and Washington continue to escalate.

According to Iranian officials, the heaviest casualties were reported in the country’s southern and southwestern provinces, where several sites were allegedly targeted during the attacks.

Iran’s state-affiliated Fars News Agency quoted a Health Ministry spokesperson as saying that the death toll had reached 55, while the number of injured had climbed to 645. The ministry described the strikes as among the deadliest incidents since the recent escalation in military tensions.

Officials said Khuzestan Province suffered the highest number of casualties, followed by Hormozgan and Sistan and Baluchestan, where hospitals reportedly received dozens of wounded civilians following the attacks.

The Health Ministry added that 586 of the injured have already been discharged after receiving treatment, while several others were treated for minor injuries and allowed to return home shortly afterward.

According to the ministry, eight people remain hospitalized, with some expected to undergo additional surgeries due to the severity of their injuries.

Iranian authorities condemned the attacks as an act of “American aggression” and called on the international community to respond to what they described as violations of international law. Officials urged global organizations to investigate the reported strikes and their humanitarian consequences.

As of the time of publication, the United States had not issued an official response to the casualty figures released by Iran’s Health Ministry. The reported death toll and injury count have also not been independently verified, and international monitoring organizations have yet to confirm the claims.

The latest figures come as military tensions between Iran and the United States continue to rise, fueling concerns about the humanitarian impact of the conflict and the risk of further regional instability.

Security analysts warn that continued military exchanges could deepen the crisis across the Middle East, with civilians increasingly caught in the crossfire. They say the absence of verified information from independent sources makes it difficult to assess the full scale of the damage, but the competing claims from both sides underscore the rapidly evolving nature of the conflict.

With diplomatic efforts showing little sign of progress, observers fear that further escalation could lead to additional civilian casualties and heightened security risks across the region, while the international community continues to monitor developments closely.