TEHRAN — Iranian Government Spokesperson Fatemeh Mohajerani visited Shahid Baqaei Specialized Hospital on Friday night to inspect the severe damage caused by a nearby US airstrike and to express solidarity with the victims. Walking through the heavily affected wards of the major pediatric oncology center, Mohajerani met face-to-face with hospitalized children and their families, offering comfort to those traumatized by the attack.

She also extended her deepest gratitude to the facility's medical staff, praising the doctors and nurses for their heroic efforts in safely evacuating more than 200 pediatric cancer patients in the middle of the night under active bombardment.

The high-profile visit followed an official statement from Iran accusing the United States of committing a "cowardly war crime" after a Wednesday strike in the southwestern city of Ahvaz forced the emergency evacuation of 211 pediatric patients, intensifying international concern over the humanitarian impact of the escalating conflict.

Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baqaei confirmed that the strike targeted an area immediately adjacent to the specialized hospital, compelling medical staff to pull children directly out of cancer treatments, including active chemotherapy sessions. In a statement posted on X, Baqaei described the attack as "barbaric," drawing direct comparisons to recent military strikes on healthcare facilities in the Gaza Strip.

Hospital officials confirmed that the explosion occurred only a short distance from the primary medical complex, shattering windows and causing panic. Dr. Majid Bou'azar, the hospital's manager, told Al Jazeera that all 211 patients had to be relocated under extreme emergency conditions. "These are highly vulnerable patients, including children undergoing intensive cancer treatment," he emphasized.

Medical staff described chaotic scenes as they rushed critically ill children to safety. "Some of the patients were on oxygen support and ventilators," one hospital employee recalled. "Parents were carrying children in their arms, while others were moved with intravenous lines still attached or transported rapidly in wheelchairs."

Hospital director Reza Bazar told Iran's Fars News agency that the nearby explosions disrupted vital operations and temporarily rendered multiple sections of the hospital entirely unusable. The incident comes amid an expanding US military campaign that has increasingly targeted civilian infrastructure alongside military installations.

Iran's Foreign Ministry has urged the international community, the United Nations, and global humanitarian organizations to formally condemn the attack. Iranian officials argue that strikes endangering medical infrastructure violate international humanitarian law, including the Geneva Conventions, which provide explicit, special protections for hospitals and medical personnel during armed conflicts regardless of whether the buildings are directly or indirectly targeted.