Two martyred, 11 wounded in US aggression on Iran-Iraq border crossing

Two people were martyred and 11 wounded in a US missile strike on the Shalamcheh border crossing between Iran and Iraq, according to Khuzestan provincial authorities.

Iran’s Mehr News Agency initially reported, citing a security official, that the strike near the crossing’s passenger terminal caused no injuries, but the Khuzestan deputy governor for security affairs later confirmed the casualty figures, calling the strike an act of US aggression against the border crossing.

The Khuzestan Provincial Council separately reported a US attack targeted a site near the city of Andimeshk in the same province, while Iran’s Fars News Agency reported a US strike hit a military site in Bushehr province. Bushehr’s governor said an area in the province came under attack early Thursday, adding that no casualties had been reported there so far.

US Central Command confirmed Thursday that American forces carried out new strikes against Iran, marking a 12th consecutive night of attacks. Reports from Tehran indicate Hormozgan, Bushehr, and Khuzestan provinces were all targeted in this latest round — a spread consistent with the pattern of strikes concentrated on Iran’s southern provinces near the Strait of Hormuz throughout this extended campaign.

Iran’s Health Ministry provided an updated casualty count Wednesday, with spokesperson Hossein Kermanpour saying 53 people have been martyred and 592 wounded in the latest phase of US strikes, using the term “martyrs” — language Iranian officials have consistently applied throughout the conflict, reflecting the government’s own framing rather than neutral terminology. The updated toll marks an increase from July 19 figures, when Iranian authorities had reported more than 50 martyred and 518 wounded.

Kermanpour’s breakdown included demographic detail: among those killed are six women and three people under 18, while the wounded include 39 women and 23 minors. He said 535 people have been discharged after treatment, 36 remain hospitalized, and 21 were treated on-site — a level of granular reporting suggesting Iran’s health ministry is treating detailed civilian casualty disclosure as part of its ongoing public communication strategy around the war.

As with other casualty figures throughout this conflict, these numbers originate from Iranian government sources without independent verification from international monitors or outside journalists with direct access to the affected areas. The Shalamcheh crossing’s status as a border point with Iraq also raises questions about potential regional spillover, given its function facilitating cross-border movement between the two countries, particularly for religious pilgrimage traffic between Iranian and Iraqi shrine cities.

Whether the rising casualty figures — now spanning multiple consecutive Health Ministry updates showing a steady upward trend — affect the diplomatic calculus on either side remains uncertain, particularly as the war continues into a 12th consecutive night without clear signs of near-term de-escalation from either Washington or Tehran.