At least 201 people have been killed and 747 injured after US and Israeli strikes hit 24 provinces across Iran, the Iranian Red Crescent Society said.
Mehr news agency, citing the humanitarian organisation, reported that more than 220 Red Crescent rescue teams have deployed to the affected areas. Rescue operations continue.
A spokesperson for the Red Crescent said the strikes impacted 24 provinces. Iranian media confirmed the casualty toll.
US President Donald Trump said the United States has launched “major combat operations” in Iran. His remarks came after Israel announced it had carried out missile strikes on Iranian territory.
In response, Iran launched retaliatory strikes targeting Israel and US assets in several Middle Eastern countries. Al Jazeera reported that the targets included Qatar, the United Arab Emirates, Kuwait, Bahrain, Jordan, Saudi Arabia and Iraq.
Explosions rocked the capital, Tehran, and other parts of the country. State media reported that a strike on a school in southern Iran left more than 80 people dead.
As tensions escalated, several countries in the region closed their airspace.
Iran’s Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmail Baghaei criticised the US action. He said the attacks do not “serve the interests of the American people”.
“This is something that is imposed on Iran. We never sought war. We were going to resolve this issue diplomatically. And this was the demand of all the countries of the region and the international community,” he told Al Jazeera.
He added that the United States initiated the conflict to advance “the whims of the Israeli regime” and said the war would not benefit the American people.
Baghaei also said Iran remains “friendly with all countries of the region”. He accused the United States of waging a war of aggression at the expense of regional nations.
