Iran admitted Sunday that an Israeli airstrike on Tehran’s notorious Evin prison killed at least 71 people, marking one of the deadliest incidents in the recent wave of Israeli attacks targeting the Iranian regime’s power centers.
The acknowledgment came days after the June 23 strike, which Israel described as part of its campaign against “regime targets and government repression bodies in the heart of Tehran.”
According to Asghar Jahangir, a spokesperson for Iran’s judiciary, the attack resulted in the deaths of staff, soldiers, prisoners, and visiting family members.
The official statement, published on the judiciary’s Mizan news site, did not offer a detailed breakdown of the victims.
However, the Human Rights Activists in Iran, a group based in Washington, reported that at least 35 of the dead were staff and two were inmates. The group also noted the deaths of a bystander near the prison and a woman visiting a judge about her husband’s case.
Jahangir said that some of the injured were treated at the scene, while others were transported to hospitals, though no official injury count was released. The strike also claimed the life of Ali Ghanaatkar, Iran’s top prosecutor, whose role in jailing dissidents had drawn international condemnation, particularly from human rights organizations.
Israel Targets Regime Symbols Amid Broader Offensive
The Evin prison strike came near the end of nearly two weeks of Israeli military operations against Iranian targets.
Israel’s Defense Ministry said the campaign aimed to cripple the regime’s ability to oppress its own people and destabilize the region.
The operation reportedly killed about 30 Iranian commanders and 11 nuclear scientists, and damaged eight nuclear-related sites along with over 720 military infrastructure facilities.
Evin prison has long been symbolic of the regime’s iron grip on dissent. Known for holding political prisoners, journalists, and activists, the facility became a direct target as Israel sought to send a message about Tehran’s domestic repression.
Iran’s Nuclear Future Remains Uncertain
While Israel’s strikes dealt heavy blows to Iran’s military and nuclear infrastructure, the full extent of the damage to Iran’s nuclear program remains unclear.
President Donald Trump, addressing the issue on June 22, claimed that American strikes had “obliterated” Iran’s nuclear capabilities. However, international experts urged caution in drawing conclusions.
Rafael Grossi, head of the International Atomic Energy Agency, stated in a Sunday interview that Iran’s nuclear capacities have not been entirely destroyed.
Grossi warned that, despite severe damage, Iran retains both the industrial and technological means to resume enrichment efforts. He emphasized that without access for inspectors, the precise status of Iran’s nuclear facilities cannot be confirmed.
Grossi noted that Iran could potentially restart enrichment activities within months, raising fresh concerns about the regime’s ambitions. He stressed that while significant damage occurred, Iran’s nuclear infrastructure has not been fully neutralized.
