Iran says US attack on Lamerd with cluster munitions is a war crime

Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei said on Monday that the United States detonated 2,000 kilograms of explosives over the city of Lamerd, describing the action as intended to create intimidation. He made the remarks during his weekly press briefing, according to Mehr News.

Baghaei referred to his recent visit to Lamerd in Fars province, where he paid tribute to the residents and the families of martyrs and disabled veterans whom he described as victims of the American attack. He said that what he witnessed firsthand in Lamerd far surpassed the impression he had previously formed through the media, and that the brutality involved in the crime is incompatible with any human standard or principle. He added that it is not compatible with any human standards for a small town of about 30,000 people, its city center and civilian areas, to become a testing ground for the latest weapons.

Detailing the nature of the attack, Baghaei said that a missile packed with three- and four-gram shrapnel was used. Specifically, he stated that four missiles, each weighing approximately 500 kilograms and containing a total of 180,000 pellets, were fired and then detonated over the city's stadium, residential areas, the vicinity of the Blood Transfusion Center, and educational facilities and schools. He said this constitutes a definite war crime, both because of the use of a prohibited weapon—a missile classified as a cluster munition—and because it targeted civilian areas and neighborhoods. He added that the US committed this crime in the city in order to instill terror and intimidate people.

Baghaei emphasized that the people of Lamerd, particularly the families of martyrs and veterans, are true embodiments of patience and insight in the arena of defense and resistance against criminals. The report by Mehr News noted that this item is being updated.