President Pezeshkian Rushes Home from Iraq Amid US Strikes on Iran

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian has expedited his visit to Iraq after the United States military struck Iranian territory. Pezeshkian has left Iraq to return to Tehran.

Pezeshkian had been in Najaf, Iraq, since early this week. He was originally scheduled to participate in a series of funeral procession ceremonies for Iran’s Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei in Iraq. Khamenei’s body was to be paraded through the Holy Cities of Najaf and Karbala. Pezeshkian had also been scheduled to hold high-level talks with Iraqi government officials.

Khamenei’s coffin had arrived at Najaf Airport on Tuesday evening. However, the latest US strikes on Iran accelerated Pezeshkian’s departure from Iraq.

Iranian state broadcaster IRIB reported that ‘most of the attacks’ by the US in southern Iran ‘targeted civilian areas’. The number of casualties caused by the incident remains unknown. The United States military struck Iran again in the Strait of Hormuz region. Explosions were heard in several Iranian cities, resulting in a number of injuries.

Media reported that explosions were heard in the southern region of Iran. Several blasts were heard in the port city of Bandar Abbas, the city of Sirik, and on Qeshm Island. Projectiles reportedly struck a commercial pier in Sirik, a fishing jetty in the village of Ziarat, and civilian fishing vessels in Bandar Abbas. State broadcaster IRIB stated that a telecommunications tower in Bandar Abbas was also targeted. According to IRIB, several people were injured by shrapnel from the strike on the Sirik pier.