{
  "id": 6105250,
  "title": "Iranians recount horrors of suspected US missile attack on first day of war",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/07/iranians-recount-horrors-of-suspected-us-missile-attack-on-first-day",
  "topic": "world",
  "section": "World",
  "published": "2026-09-07T05:57:59.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "South China Morning Post",
    "slug": "south-china-morning-post",
    "url": "https://www.scmp.com/news/world/middle-east/article/3366603/iranians-recount-horrors-suspected-us-missile-attack-first-day-war"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "On February 28, the United States initiated an attack on Iran, marking the beginning of what would become a devastating conflict for many. Thirteen-year-old Mohammad Reza Barfar was struck by explosions during a football match in Lamerd, an industrial city in Iran's southern Fars Province. Four pieces of metal penetrated his body, causing severe injuries to his foot, leg, head, and arm. Mohammad Reza spent 28 days in the hospital and underwent 16 major surgeries, leaving him dependent on a wheelchair. His mother, Zeynab Mortazavi, also sustained injuries from shrapnel and continues to struggle with mobility.\n\nA few kilometers away, 10-year-old Helma Ahmadizadey was struck by a tungsten projectile while attending volleyball practice. The projectile pierced her heart, causing fatal internal bleeding. Helma's parents rushed her to the hospital, where she was pronounced dead upon arrival. The attack, according to an official medical report, was carried out by four missiles beginning at 5:12 pm. Security-camera footage and a local investigation concluded that these missiles originated from an Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps post, though it is unclear if this post was a major missile base or command center.\n\nA New York Times investigation suggests that the missile used in the Lamerd attack was the Precision Strike Missile (PrSM), manufactured by Lockheed Martin. This new long-range weapon can detonate above a target and disperse high-velocity tungsten fragments. However, a US official stated that US forces did not conduct any strikes in Lamerd or within a 30-mile radius of the city.\n\nVeteran surgeon and lawmaker Mousa Mousavi witnessed the chaos and critical situation in Lamerd during the attack. He described treating patients with severe injuries to the head, neck, spine, abdomen, and chest, with many of them being civilians. Mousavi and other lawyers are gathering evidence for possible international legal proceedings, alleging that the victims were innocent civilians. While compensation and court judgments cannot undo the loss of life, Mohammad Reza Barfar expresses his wish for the war to end forever.",
  "summary": "Thirteen-year-old Mohammad Reza Barfar remembers the free kick more clearly than almost anything else on February 28 when the US-led attack on Iran began. The football-loving schoolboy went to a local field after classes for a match between his village and another team. He scored from a free kick and his brother captured the goal on video. Hours later, Mohammad Reza was lying wounded amid smoke…",
  "key_points": [
    "Thirteen-year-old Mohammad Reza Barfar injured in football match explosion.",
    "10-year-old Helma Ahmadizadey killed by tungsten projectile during volleyball practice."
  ],
  "editors_take": "The alleged US missile attack on Iran has galvanized accounts of civilian suffering and could underpin potential international legal action against the US, with families and lawmakers gathering evidence of harm to innocent civilians.",
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}