Iran condemns ‘barbaric’ US attack near children’s cancer hospital

Iran accuses US of ‘cowardly war crime’ as doctor says blast was ‘so close’ they thought the hospital was struck.Iran has accused the United States of committing a “cowardly war crime” by striking near a children’s cancer hospital and compared its actions to Israel’s targeting of healthcare facilities in Gaza.Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baghaei said in a post on X on Thursday that the US carried out a “barbaric” attack and 211 patients “undergoing chemotherapy” were evacuated from Shahid Baghaei Specialised Hospital in the southwestern city of Ahvaz.Recommended Stories list of 3 itemslist 1 of 3Iran claims strikes on US bases, warns of wider attacks on regionlist 2 of 3US or Iran — Who needs a new truce deal more?list 3 of 3Vance says Israeli campaign tried to sway US opinion against Iran diplomacyend of listA doctor at the treatment centre told reporters the blast was “intense” and “so close” that they thought the hospital had been hit.“This barbaric attack, reminiscent of Israel’s atrocities against healthcare facilities, caused severe suffering and anxiety upon the hospitalised children, and forced the emergency evacuation,” said Baghaei.“This constitutes a cowardly war crime against the most innocent of human beings – children who are bravely fighting for their lives.”Dr Majid Bou’azar, manager of the hospital, told Al Jazeera the 211 patients “were forced to relocate” because of the strikes.“These are special patients, including cancer patients, who are hospitalised here … Some of the patients [were] on oxygen and ventilators,” another staff member told Al Jazeera. “Some people had children in their arms, some had IVs in their hands, and some were in wheelchairs.”Earlier, hospital Director Reza Bazar said US attacks on Ahvaz city had put the hospital out of service, Fars news agency reported.The attacks have deepened concerns that the war could spiral out of control and significantly delay a negotiated settlement to permanently end the conflict, which began almost five months ago.‘Bitter memory’ of Minab attackThe US did not comment on the hospital strike, but said it launched another wave of attacks on Iran on Thursday. Tehran, meanwhile, said it targeted US military sites in Jordan and Kuwait, as Gulf leaders remain on high alert over fears the fighting could escalate to potentially catastrophic levels.