Health authorities in the city of Ahvaz, Iran, carried out an emergency evacuation of a cancer hospital following US airstrikes that hit areas in close proximity to the medical facility. More than 200 patients, including children, were evacuated, with Tehran describing the incident as a “barbaric attack.”
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US strikes knock hospital out of operation
According to Iranian authorities, 211 patients — many of whom were undergoing chemotherapy or dependent on oxygen support and mechanical ventilation — were immediately evacuated from Shahid Baghaei Specialty Hospital as a precautionary measure. The hospital’s director, Reza Bazar, stated that the US strikes effectively rendered the facility non-operational, though no casualties have been reported so far. The hospital’s medical director, Dr. Majid Buazar, confirmed that all 211 patients were forced to be transferred to other healthcare facilities.
Evacuado el hospital Shahid Baqaei de Ahvazhttps://t.co/9Ha0r3GznR pic.twitter.com/x2LwKchJnz
— IRNA Español (@irna_es) July 16, 2026
Scenes of panic as oxygen-dependent patients and children are rushed out
A member of the nursing staff described scenes of panic during the evacuation, noting that “these are extremely vulnerable patients, many of them cancer sufferers. The area surrounding the hospital was heavily bombed. Some patients were connected to oxygen or ventilators.” They added that “there were people carrying children in their arms, others walking out with IV drips, and others being wheeled out in wheelchairs. Everyone was forced to leave the hospital.”
After the US attack to Ahvaz’s Shahid Baghaei Hospital, Some patients and their families fled the hospital in fear due to the loud blasts and severe shaking.
Only the most critically ill patients remain. pic.twitter.com/cIJ9nVOBxT— IRIB (Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting) (@iribnews_irib) July 15, 2026
“Barbaric attack”
Iran’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs condemned the US strikes in unusually strong terms, calling them a “barbaric attack” on a healthcare facility. Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmail Baghaei wrote in a post that the attack “is reminiscent of Israeli strikes on medical facilities” and caused “intense distress and suffering among the children receiving treatment.” He emphasized that 211 patients undergoing chemotherapy were forced to abandon the hospital due to the airstrikes.
As of the time of writing, the United States has not issued any official response to Tehran’s allegations.
Iranian media reports say US strikes hit areas near Shahid Baghaei Hospital, a pediatric cancer treatment centre in the southwestern city of Ahvaz. Footage circulating online appears to show families gathering outside the hospital as the facility was evacuated, with families… pic.twitter.com/QBdfSw7B8R
— TRT World (@trtworld) July 16, 2026
