Tehran [Iran], May 26 (ANI): Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baghaei on Tuesday accused the United States of committing a “despicable war crime” following a missile strike on a sports hall in Lamerd, Fars Province, that Tehran claims killed 24 civilians, including teenage volleyball players and a two-year-old child, while injuring more than 130 people.
In a post on X, Baghaei said he was briefed by Iranian Member of Parliament for Mehr Mousa Mousavi about a “devastating American missile strike” on a residential area and sports hall in the city of Lamerd.
“On the afternoon of Saturday, 9 Esfand 1404 (28 February 2026), the same day students at the Shajareh Tayyibeh School in Minab were massacred by Tomahawk missiles, a residential area in Lamerd, including a sports hall, was struck by U.S. Precision Strike Missiles (PrSM),” Baghaei said.
According to the Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson, the strike “killed 24 persons, including a 2-year-old girl and several teenage volleyball players,” while “more than 130 persons were injured, many of whom now face permanent disabilities.”
Baghaei further alleged that the missiles “detonated in the air before impact, unleashing 180,000 high-velocity tungsten pellets that tore through the area in every direction with devastating force.”
He said there is “no longer any doubt” that the United States deliberately targeted a residential neighborhood and a civilian sports hall in Lamerd.
“This was not a mistake; it was a calculated decision to test the destructive power of a new weapon system on Iranian civilians. Such an act constitutes a clear and despicable war crime,” he said.
The Iranian official demanded accountability for those responsible for the strike, stating that “those who ordered and executed this attack must be held accountable before any competent court of law.”
“The Iranian nation will never forget its martyred sons and daughters. We will neither forget nor forgive this crime,” he added.
Baghaei also referenced an earlier post on X from April 2, claiming the American Precision Strike Missile (PrSM) made its combat debut in the 28 February 2026 attack on Lamerd.
He described the strike as a “despicable war crime” and quoted Syrian poet Ghada al-Samman, saying: “They keep talking and never fall silent for even a moment—perhaps this endless chatter comes from their fear of hearing the voice of their own conscience.”
About The Author
