Civilians paying the price of Israel-Iran conflict, UN warns

Among the dead were Vahid Heidarpour and Rouhollah Tavassoli, who oversaw wards 4, 7 and 8 at various times and were known for managing inmates accused in financial and political cases, sources said.

“They had a reputation for exploiting detainees linked to powerful networks,” a source familiar with the prison told Iran International.

The pair died in the prison’s administrative block, where they were present during the strike alongside the deputy health chief and several guards.

Some inmates were also injured by shattered glass and blast waves, though authorities have not confirmed any prisoner fatalities.

“I saw 16 prison employees in body bags being loaded into ambulances,” a witness inside the facility said. “They plan to move political detainees to Fashafuyeh or to Saheli prison in Qom. The death toll is high. No debris has been cleared yet. Many soldiers were also killed, and female staff are among the dead.”

Twenty buses transported Evin Prison inmates to Fashafuyeh prison on Monday, eyewitnesses told Iran International.

Detainees from Ward 209, who include recent protest arrestees, were moved out after the strike.

Prisoners from Ward 4 were relocated by bus to Fashafuyeh without their belongings, according to a second source who confirmed reports of gunfire inside the prison following the Israeli strike.

The families were being held back from the scene, which was taken over by Basij and plainclothes agents, the source added.

Damage was concentrated in the visitors’ hall, the infirmary, and the intelligence wing of the prison, where electricity is now limited to emergency supply and water has been cut off.

Call for prisoners' release

Families of political prisoners have repeatedly called for their release following the onset of Israeli airstrikes.

Reza Valizadeh, an American-Iranian journalist held at Evin, said in a message on June 16 that political prisoners had petitioned for conditional release, which is permitted under wartime laws passed in 1986.

The rules exclude so-called dangerous criminals but allow temporary release for others whose lives may be at risk during emergencies.

The Monday strikes, carried out under the direct orders of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Israel Katz, focused on “regime targets and government repression bodies,” according to the Israeli Ministry of Defense.

Command centers of the Tharallah base, the Seyyed al-Shohada Corps, and the intelligence directorate of Iran’s police force were also struck in what Israeli officials called the most extensive operation of its kind.

Missiles were fired at the base as part of what Iran's state television is calling “Operation Herald of Victory".

Qatari air defense systems intercepted the Iranian missile attack, Al Jazeera reported, citing the Qatari defense ministry.

Doha condemned the Iranian airstrikes against US forces in Al Udeid, saying it reserves the right to respond directly and in accordance with international law.

It also confirmed that the attack resulted in no fatalities.

The US president is at the White House Situation Room, discussing a possible response to the Iranian attack, according to CNBC.

According to the New York Times and Reuters, Iran had coordinated the attack with Qatari officials and the United States in advance and gave early notice to help minimize casualties.

In a statement, Iran's Supreme National Security Council gave Doha an assurance that the targeted US base was located far from residential areas and posed no danger to “the brotherly and friendly country of Qatar and its people.”

Tehran emphasized that it remains committed to maintaining its “warm ties with Qatar.”

The situation remains fluid as US officials assess the damage and prepare for possible further retaliation. Al Udeid is the largest US military base in the Middle East, hosting thousands of American personnel and serving as a strategic hub for regional operations.

Their assessments come as Iran threatens retaliation, and the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) holds an emergency meeting on Monday in response to the escalating crisis.

“For most facilities the impact of direct strikes will, to a large extent, most likely be very localized,” said Dr. Kathryn Higley, distinguished professor of nuclear science and engineering at Oregon State University and president of the National Council on Radiation Protection and Measurements told Iran International.

“While enriched uranium is radioactive, it is not terribly so. If the uranium is present and released as hexafluoride, that could also pose a serious but still localized hazard due to the fluorine in the compound being reactive," she said.

Dr. David Albright, founder of the Institute for Science and International Security, told Iran International that concerns over radiation from a strike on Fordow are overblown when compared with past incidents.

“One way to understand the low radiological risk of bombing Fordow is from a comparison to the underground Natanz enrichment site with over 15,000 centrifuges and many tons of uranium,” he said.

“It was attacked with earth penetrators and there is no off-site radiation risk. Fordow has about 2,700 centrifuges and much less uranium, and is more deeply buried underground. Hard to expect worse than Natanz.”

Albright emphasized that the design and location of Iran’s underground enrichment sites inherently limit the spread of radioactive.

Temporary contamination risks are primarily limited to areas near uranium conversion and enrichment plants, according to Andrea Stricker, a research fellow at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies (FDD).

“Response teams going near the destroyed facilities, for example, would need to wear protective gear temporarily due to risks of inhaling or ingesting aerially dispersed uranium chemical compounds,” said Stricker. “There is not concern for dispersal beyond the immediate plants.”

The US strike on the heavily fortified Fordow facility has likely trapped radioactive material underground, limiting any broader hazard, Stricker said.

Iran's response: 'no signs of contamination'

Their comments follow US President Donald Trump’s announcement on Sunday that American forces had struck Iran’s Fordow, Isfahan, and Natanz nuclear sites, which he described as “completely and fully obliterated.”

While Iran confirmed the strikes, it insisted its nuclear program would continue undeterred.

Iran’s National Nuclear Safety System reported that radiation detectors at the affected facilities showed “no signs of contamination” and stated, “There is no danger to the residents living around the aforementioned sites," according to Iran State media.

The IAEA said it had observed “no increase in off-site radiation levels” and would continue monitoring the situation.

Director General Rafael Grossi announced an emergency meeting of the agency’s 35-member board of governors. In response, Iran’s nuclear chief Mohammad Eslami called for an investigation and accused Grossi of “inaction and complicity.”

Isfahan and Natanz—both previously targeted by Israeli airstrikes—have not shown any evidence of radiation release, according to IAEA monitoring.

Experts say Bushehr not likely to be targeted

Bushehr, Iran’s only operational nuclear power reactor, is not expected to be targeted.

“Israel will not have the Bushehr nuclear power plant on its target list, as striking the reactor would cause a radiological disaster in the region,” Stricker said.

Bushehr is used for civilian energy production, not enrichment. The plutonium it generates is not suitable for nuclear weapons, and spent fuel is required to be returned to Russia.

Still, the plant contains significant quantities of nuclear material, and Grossi has warned that an attack on Bushehr could have the most serious radiological consequences of any site in Iran.

Tehran continues to maintain that its nuclear program is for peaceful purposes, but Trump and Israeli officials argue Iran is moving dangerously close to weapons capability.

“There will either be peace," Trump said during a national address following the strikes, "or there will be tragedy for Iran."

Over the weekend, US forces carried out unprecedented airstrikes targeting Iran’s Fordow, Natanz, and Isfahan nuclear facilities. B-2 stealth bombers and Tomahawk cruise missiles were used in a mission that involved more than 120 aircraft—making it one of the largest US military operations against the Islamic Republic in decades.

“This marks a dramatic and consequential shift in the region’s strategic balance,” said Dr. Eric Mandel, founder of the Middle East Political Information Network (MEPIN), a think tank focused on US foreign policy and national security in the Middle East. But he warned military strikes alone were not a strategy for lon-term success.

Mandel emphasized that lasting success depends on political vision, regional coordination, and tangible support for the Iranian people—including support for dissident networks, and a clear set of US conditions for any future negotiations.

The removal of nuclear capabilities from “the world’s most dangerous regime” makes the world safer, argued Jonathan Harounoff, spokesperson for Israel’s Mission to the United Nations and author of Unveiled: Inside Iran’s #WomanLifeFreedom Revolt.

'Rare opportunity' for change

Harounoff, whose family is of Iranian origin, said the Iranian people “deserve a government that cares more about their social and economic wellbeing and safety than in pouring hundreds of millions of dollars into constructing a dangerous foreign policy, a destructive nuclear program and a web of terror proxies across the Middle East.”

“The door has been opened to make sure Iran cannot continue its pursuit of nuclear weapons,” said former US Ambassador John Craig, who was part of the Carter administration’s mission to assess the Shah’s position just prior to the 1979 revolution. While it’s too early to predict long-term outcomes, Craig said Iran’s leadership is now under enormous pressure to either return to negotiations or risk further escalation.

“Iran is in a very, very bad place. The leadership has very few options,” said Craig.

Craig added that internal discontent is growing—but warned that the international community must consider who can credibly lead a push for regime change from within. “Time for the mullahs to go,” he said. “But who leads the way is the real question.”

Experts agree that Israel’s initial strikes—combined with US firepower—shattered the Islamic Republic’s sense of impunity. But they caution that without a coherent American strategy, this moment could be lost.

Unless the United States now moves with strategic clarity—disrupting Iran’s centers of power and actively supporting the Iranian people—this rare opportunity for meaningful change could slip away, Mandel warned.

The Houthis' official X account posted in Hebrew on Sunday morning, warning Israelis to “leave the country immediately”, with a video of a missile launching and scenes of destruction in Israel from Iran’s recent missile attacks.

Houthis recently brokered a ceasefire with the Trump administration and agreed to cease attacks on US ships and assets in the Red Sea region. In the early hours of Sunday, the ceasefire was over.

"We will officially enter the war - keep your ships away from our territorial waters," an announcement from the group said.

The Houthis had been waging a maritime blockade since the early weeks of the Gaza war in 2023, in what it says is allegiance with the Palestinians in Gaza.

An Israeli intelligence source told Iran International that given the complexity of striking US assets, the Houthis, designated a foreign terrorist organization by the US and others, are more likely to target Israel first.

'Not a big deal'

“It’s a bit early to say but the Houthis would prefer to target Israel first, it’s less complex at this stage, but it’s hard to tell. The next 24 hours will be revealing,” he said.

“There is no major threat from the Houthis,” the intelligence source added. “They’re limited in their capability and while they will try to retaliate for the current situation, it is not a big deal.”

The Israeli military says that more than 40 surface-to-surface missiles have been fired towards Israel since the Gaza war began, with one barely missing Israel’s biggest airport, Ben Gurion, just weeks ago.

Another 320 UAVs had been fired towards Israel, over 100 of which intercepted with two effective hits as of January data. The remainder fell in open areas, failed to reach Israeli territory or caused no significant damage.

Yemeni military journalist Rashid Maarouf, based in Marib city, told Iran International on Sunday that the Houthis' next steps will depend on the extent of the impact of the American strikes on Iran's nuclear reactors.

Targeting Arab nations

He also agrees the group's capabilities are limited. “They are launching missiles at Israel, but the Houthis' missiles are limited. They do not have a large number to launch a large salvo like Iran does. Even if the Houthis struck Israel, they would not be able to strike with more than two to three missiles a day.”

Abdul Basit Al-Baher, the spokesman for Yemen's military in the governorate of Taiz, told Iran International: "The Houthis are in the crosshairs of the US-Iranian escalation, between the tool and the victim."

He says the US attacks on Iran will require the Houthis to launch new attacks on American or associated ships, using drones or missiles, in an attempt to divert attention from the US strike on Iran and to pressure Washington to halt any potential escalation against Tehran.

It may also trigger attacks on Saudi or Emirati targets, the two nations strong US allies, Al-Baher said.

"They are expected to attempt to expand the scope of the confrontation by targeting Arab coalition countries, particularly Saudi Arabia, to send a message that any targeting of Iran will destabilize the entire region," he said.

He warns that the most dangerous scenario would be full engagement in a "proxy war", Iran activating its regional military allies.

"If Iran decides to respond forcefully, it may use the Houthis as an offensive force against Western interests in the Red Sea," he said, including special attacks on commercial and military vessels or even an attempt to threaten oil and energy corridors."