Iran accuses US of 'war crime' after 24 killed in alleged missile strike on Lamerd Sports Hall

Iranian Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Esmail Baghaei on Tuesday accused the US of committing a "despicable war crime" following a missile strike on a sports hall in Lamerd, Fars Province, that Tehran says killed 24 civilians, including teenage volleyball players and a two-year-old child, while injuring more than 130 people.

In a post on X, Baghaei said he was briefed by the Iranian member of Parliament for Mehr, Mousa Mousavi, about a " devastating American missile strike" on a residential area and sports hall in the city of Lamerd.

Also read: US military says it carried out 'self-defense' strikes on Iran, including on missile launch sites



"On the afternoon of Saturday, 9 Esfand 1404 (28 February 2026) the same day students at the Shajareh_Tayyibeh_School in Minab were massacred by Tomahawk missiles--a residential area in Lamerd, including a sports hall, was struck by U.S. Precision Strike Missiles (PrSM)," Baghaei said.

According to the Iranian Foreign Ministry Spokesperson, the strike "slaughtered 24 persons, including a 2-year-old girl, several teenage volleyball players", while "more than 130 persons were injured, many of whom now face permanent disabilities."

Baghaei further alleged that the missiles used " detonated in the air before impact, unleashing 180000 of high-velocity tungsten pellets that tore through the area in every direction with devastating force."

"There is no longer any doubt that the United States deliberately targeted a residential neighborhood and a civilian sports hall in Lamerd," he said.

He emphasised that it was "not a mistake" but a "calculated decision". He said, "This was not a mistake--it was a calculated decision to test the destructive power of a new weapon system on Iranian civilians. Such an act constitutes a clear and despicable war crime."

The Iranian official demanded accountability for those responsible for the strike, stating, "Those who ordered and executed this attack must be held accountable before any competent court of law."

"The Iranian nation will never forget its martyred sons and daughters. We will neither forget nor forgive this crime," he added.

He highlighted an earlier X post of April 2, which mentioned another claimed American Precision Strike Missile or PrSM, and said that it "made its combat debut on 28 February 2026" during the attack in Lamerd.

Also read: Iran would open Strait of Hormuz 30 days after peace deal

"The American new PrSM missile, which made its combat debut on 28 February 2026, struck a crowded sports hall filled with innocent teenagers in the city of Lamerd, Fars Province," he said.

"The attack killed 21 young boys and girls. The missile explodes above its target, dispersing thousands of lethal fragments (tungsten pellets) to maximize human casualties," he added.

Calling the strike "a despicable war crime," Baghaei also quoted Syrian poet Ghada al-Samman in his post, "They keep talking and never fall silent for even a moment--perhaps this endless chatter comes from their fear of hearing the voice of their own conscience."