The U.S. military issued a safety warning Sunday to civilians in Iran, urging them to stay home amid as military operations continue to escalate throughout the area.
WASHINGTON โ The U.S. military issued a safety warning Sunday to civilians in Iran, urging them to stay home amid as military operations continue to escalate throughout the region.ย
The U.S. Central Command shared the notice in a post on X shortly before 10 a.m. Eastern.ย
U.S. officials claim the Iranian government is launching drones and ballistic missiles from densely populated civilian areas. They add that the decision puts those civilians at risk because places used for military activity could “lose protected status” under international law and may be considered legitimate military targets.ย
“This dangerous decision risks the lives of all civilians in Iran since locations used for military purposes lose protected status and could become legitimate military targets under international law,” the post reads.ย
U.S. Central Command listed three cities where they believe Iran is conducting these types of military operations: Dezful, Esfahan and Shiraz. ย
U.S. officials said the military takes “every feasible precaution to minimize harm to civilians but cannot guarantee civilian safety in or near facilities used by the Iranian regime for military purposes.”
Bahrain accused Iran of striking a desalination plant on Sunday, raising fears that civilian infrastructure may become fair game in the conflict, as Iranโs president vowed to expand the country’s attacks on American targets across the region in the face of intense U.S. and Israeli airstrikes.
A late-night Israeli strike on an oil facility engulfed parts of Tehran in smoke on Sunday, while Israel renewed attacks in Lebanon. President Donald Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu vowed to press ahead with the 9-day-old campaign, which has rippled across the region and appears to have no end in sight.
Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian threatened Sunday to step up attacks on American targets across the Middle East, backtracking from conciliatory comments a day earlier, in which he apologized for attacks on his Gulf neighbors’ soil. Those were quickly contradicted by Iranian hard-liners.
The conflict, which Israel and the U.S. launched with airstrikes on Feb. 28, has so far killed at least 1,230 people in Iran, at least 397 in Lebanon and at least 11 in Israel, according to officials. Six U.S. troops have also been killed.
The conflict has rattled global markets, disrupted air travel and left Iranโs leadership weakened by several thousand Israeli and American airstrikes.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.ย
