US Strikes Kill Over 50 in Iran, 517 Wounded

The death toll from a wave of US air strikes targeting various sites in Iran since late June has risen to more than 50, according to authorities in Tehran. Iran’s Ministry of Health reported on Sunday that over 50 people have been killed since Washington launched the strikes on 27 June, with five women and two children among the dead.

Ministry spokesman Hossein Kermanpour also reported that at least 517 others have been wounded in the barrage of US attacks, including 35 women and 19 children. He added that 28 surgical procedures have been performed on the victims. Of the total injured, 468 have been discharged from hospital after receiving medical treatment, while around 32 patients remain hospitalised.

Tensions in the Middle East have escalated sharply in recent weeks after Iran and the US exchanged attacks following strikes on vessels in the Strait of Hormuz, which Washington believes were orchestrated by Tehran. The strategic waterway has become the focal point of the latest dispute between the two nations, with both vying for control of the route. In recent days, US military forces have pounded Iranian targets on land and at sea, while Tehran has retaliated by targeting American military bases in neighbouring Gulf states. The renewed fighting has derailed a memorandum of understanding for a ceasefire between Iran and the US, which was mediated by Pakistan and signed by both sides in June.