Life was good for Parnia's family. Then an Israeli airstrike hit their Tehran apartment

An 8-year-old girl who loved dancing in a red dress at her dentist's office. A 28-year-old national equestrian champion. A poet one week away from her 24th birthday. A graphic designer who worked at National Geographic. Grandparents in their 80s.
All are among the civilians killed during Israeli airstrikes on Iran.
Warning: This story contains graphic details.
Israel has said it does not target Iranian civilians, but hundreds have died in the violence. Every day since the war began, a new face, a new name, a new story of a life that ended violently and abruptly has emerged. The Ministry of Health has not updated casualty numbers since last Sunday, when it said at least 224 people had been killed and nearly 2000 injured, including women and children. Those figures are expected to grow in the coming days.
In interviews with more than 50 residents of Tehran, Shiraz, Isfahan, Ahvaz, Mashhad, Sanandaj, Amol, Ghazvin, Semnan, Karaj, Neishabour, and Tabriz, doctors, families and friends described the toll of the strikes. The New York Times also reviewed scores of videos, photos and testimonies documenting civilian casualties, injuries and the destruction of residential buildings.
The Israeli military has said the attacks on Iran are targeted assassinations of military commanders, government officials and nuclear scientists. But missiles and drones have also hit high-rise buildings and multistory apartment complexes where civilians also reside.
Hossein Kermanpour, the spokesperson for the Ministry of Health, said 90 per cent of casualties were civilians, not military.
In Tehran, the Iranian capital, the frequency of the Israeli strikes has completely upended daily life. The constant thud of air defence systems, the loud boom of explosions and the wailing sirens of ambulances and fire trucks have replaced the sounds of a metropolis typically buzzing with traffic, street music and the Muslim call to prayer.
Photos and videos show rescue crews rummaging through piles of debris. A father clutches his small baby in a white onesie drenched in blood. A man bleeding from the head leans against a motorcycle as a passerby tends his wound. The body of a small child, covered in gray dust, peeks out from the rubble.
'There's a lot of focus on the military targets but not much is being said about the many civilian casualties, in fact nothing is being said about them, which are much higher than the targeted killings,' said Jila Baniyagoub, a prominent journalist and women's rights activist in Tehran.
Four physicians, including the director of a major hospital in Tehran, said emergency rooms were overwhelmed. The Ministry of Health announced on Monday that all medical staff members around the country were required to remain in their posts because of the acute need.
'This is unlike anything we've experienced before,' said Ali, a 43-year-old engineer in Tehran and father of two small children who asked that his last name not be published for fear of retribution from Iranian officials for speaking publicly.
He said deaths and casualties were hitting closer to home everyday and that a friend's sister had been killed when a building collapsed on her after a targeted strike.
Parnia Abbasi, the poet, graduated from college with a degree in English and landed a coveted job at the National Bank of Iran, where her mother had spent her career as a bank clerk until retirement. Her father was a public-school teacher. Abbasi once spoke at a panel for young poets and told the audience that she looked 'at all my life events as stories I could write.'
About six months ago, her parents realised a lifelong dream of purchasing a three-bedroom apartment in the Orkideh Complex, a compound of high-rise apartment buildings on Sattarkhan Street in central Tehran. On Friday morning, the building collapsed after it was hit by an Israeli missile.
The Abbasi family, including Parham, Abbasi's younger brother, were killed.
'They had bought this house six or seven months ago under great financial pressure so that the children could have their own rooms. The love between this family was the envy of everyone. They were always together,' said Hassan, a relative of the Abbasis' in Tehran, who asked that his last name not be published because of fears for his safety.
Tara Hajimiri, 8, loved folk dance and gymnastics. A video of her wearing a red dress as she danced her way into the chair at her dentist's office went viral on social media. She and 60 residents were killed in a massive strike on an apartment building on Patrice Lumumba Street on Saturday.
Reza, a 59-year-old computer engineer, said his aunt and uncle, a couple in their 80s, were killed in an airstrike while they were sleeping on Saturday night. The force of the explosion toppled the building, he said.
The man had Parkinson's disease, said Reza. 'It's so sad that innocent civilians are being impacted by this war. They were loving grandparents.'
The damage to the building was so extensive that rescue workers have not yet retrieved the bodies. The family was informed to consider the couple dead. Reza said the couple's adult children go to the site every day, waiting for the bodies to be pulled from the rubble.
Saleh Bayrami, a veteran graphic designer for magazines like National Geographic and media companies, was driving home from a meeting on Sunday. He stopped at a red light at Quds Square, near the bustling Tajrish market in the northern part of Tehran. An Israeli missile landed on a major sewage pipe in the square, exploded into a ball of fire and killed him, according to colleagues and news reports.
Ava Meshkatian, a colleague who sat next to him at work, wrote a tribute to Bayrami on her Instagram page, describing him as kind, friendly and always smiling. 'We have to write these things for others to read. For others to know, God only knows how devastated I am,' she wrote.
Mehdi Poladvand, a 27-year-old member of a youth equestrian club and a national champion, spent the last day of his life Friday at a racetrack in Karaj competing in a race.
Iranian news media described him as a rising talent who had won numerous championship titles in provincial competitions and national cups. He was killed along with his parents and sister when their apartment building was struck by an Israeli missile, his friend Arezou Malek, a fellow equestrian, told local Iranian media.
At cemeteries across Iran, sombre funeral services are being held daily, sometimes as missiles fly overhead. The coffin of Niloufar Ghalehvand, 32, a Pilates instructor, was covered with the flag of Iran, according to videos shared on social media by the sporting club where she worked. A small crowd wearing black can be seen standing around the coffin.
'We will always remember you,' read a message from the sports club. 'No to War.'

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Learn with AIFact CheckingText to SpeechAI Summary

Related Articles

7NEWS

42 minutes ago

• 7NEWS

World leaders react to US attack on Iran nuclear sites

World leaders are reacting after US forces struck three Iranian nuclear sites. * OFFICE OF AUSTRALIAN PRIME MINISTER ANTHONY ALBANESE 'We have been clear that Iran's nuclear and ballistic missile program has been a threat to international peace and security. We note the US president's statement that now is the time for peace. The security situation in the region is highly volatile. We continue to call for de-escalation, dialogue and diplomacy.' * ISRAEL PRIME MINISTER BENJAMIN NETANYAHU 'Congratulations, President Trump. Your bold decision to target Iran's nuclear facilities with the awesome and righteous might of the United States will change history ... History will record that President Trump acted to deny the world's most dangerous regime the world's most dangerous weapons.' * UN SECRETARY-GENERAL ANTONIO GUTERRES 'I am gravely alarmed by the use of force by the United States against Iran today. This is a dangerous escalation in a region already on the edge - and a direct threat to international peace and security. There is a growing risk that this conflict could rapidly get out of control - with catastrophic consequences for civilians, the region, and the world. I call on member states to de-escalate and to uphold their obligations under the UN Charter and other rules of international law. At this perilous hour, it is critical to avoid a spiral of chaos. There is no military solution. The only path forward is diplomacy. The only hope is peace.' * VENEZUELA FOREIGN MINISTER YVAN GIL 'Venezuela Condemns US Military Aggression Against Iran and Demands an Immediate Cessation of Hostilities. The Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela firmly and categorically condemns the bombing carried out by the United States military, at the request of the State of Israel, against nuclear facilities in the Islamic Republic of Iran, including the Fordow, Natanz, and Isfahan complexes.' * MEXICO FOREIGN MINISTRY 'The ministry urgently calls for diplomatic dialogue for peace between the parties involved in the Middle East conflict. In keeping with our constitutional principles of foreign policy and our country's pacifist conviction, we reiterate our call to de-escalate tensions in the region. The restoration of peaceful coexistence among the states of the region is the highest priority.' * CUBA PRESIDENT MIGUEL DIAZ-CANEL 'We strongly condemn the US bombing of Iran's nuclear facilities, which constitutes a dangerous escalation of the conflict in the Middle East. The aggression seriously violates the UN Charter and international law and plunges humanity into a crisis with irreversible consequences.'

ABC News

an hour ago

• ABC News

B-2 stealth bombers have hit three Iranian nuclear sites. This is what we know about the aircraft

The US has struck Iran's three nuclear sites, Fordow, Natanz, and Esfahan, amid an ongoing conflict between Israel and Iran. US President Donald Trump has confirmed that B-2 stealth bombers were involved in the attack. A US official later confirmed bunker-buster bombs were dropped on the Fordow and Natanz sites, The New York Times has reported. Shortly after the strike, Mr Trump has threatened further attacks against Iran if the nation does not surrender, adding, "Remember, there are many targets left". So, what is a B-2 stealth bomber, and the bunker-buster weapon it used to attack the Iranian facilities? The US B-2 bombers, touted as the most expensive military aircraft ever built, cost about $US2.1 billion ($3.24 billion) each. Made by Northrop Grumman Corporation, B-2 bombers are the only aircraft capable of carrying a bomb large enough to impact Iran's primary and most protected Fordow nuclear facility, which has been built deep into a mountain. The B-2's range is about 6,000 nautical miles (9,600 kilometres), according to the US Air Force. With aerial refuelling, the bomber, with low observability, can reach virtually any target worldwide. The aircraft can carry a diverse array of conventional and nuclear weapons. The bombers can host a crew of two — a pilot in the left seat and a mission commander in the right — the Air Force said on its website. Only 21 B-2s were made after the Pentagon's planned acquisition program was truncated, according to Reuters. They are considered one of America's most advanced strategic weapons platforms, capable of entering sophisticated air defences and delivering precision strikes against targets like Fordow. The B-2's stealth technology incorporates radar-absorbing materials and angular design features that minimise detection by enemy air defence systems, according to Reuters. The bomber's radar cross-section is reportedly comparable to that of a small bird, making it nearly invisible to conventional radar. The B-2's composite materials, special coatings, and wing design all contribute to its "stealthiness", the US Air Force added. B-2 bombers operate out of a US Air Force base in Missouri. The B-2 internal weapons bay is reportedly specifically designed to maintain stealth characteristics while accommodating large ordnance loads, which could include two GBU-57 Massive Ordnance Penetrators (MOP). The MOP is a 30,000-pound precision-guided bomb, sometimes referred to as a "bunker-buster bomb". As ABC News has reported, the MOP is the only conventional weapon thought capable of breaching and destroying the Fordow nuclear site. It weighs more than 13 tonnes, stands six metres high, and is specifically designed to "defeat hard and deeply buried targets" like bunkers and tunnels, according to a fact sheet from a US Department of Defense agency. "While each B-2 can carry two GBU-57/Bs, such an attack would require redundancy since the weapons would have to function and be delivered perfectly to get down into the facility, and explode at the right depth to cause critical damage," Justin Bronk, an air power specialist at the Royal United Services Institute, told ABC NEWS Verify. It's believed that the MOP can reach depths of up to 60 metres before exploding. Inside Iran's Fordow nuclear bunker experts say only US weapons can destroy ABC/Reuters

9 News

an hour ago

• 9 News

Nasa heat patterns

Iran Foreign Minister minister meets European counterparts The Iranian Foreign Minister has been in Geneva to meet with European counterparts, who are hopeful an "off-ramp" can be negotiated within the two-week window set out by US President Donald Trump.