Iran reports 3,468 killed in 40-day war with Israel-US, 45pc civilians

Iranian state media on Sunday reported that civilians accounted for around 45 percent of those killed during a 40-day conflict involving Israel and the United States.

The official news agency IRNA, citing Iranian authorities, said the overall death toll reached 3,468, of whom 1,460 were civilians.

Jamshid Nazmi, senior adviser to the head of Iran’s Foundation of Martyrs and Veterans Affairs, disclosed the figures at a press briefing in Tehran, according to IRNA.

He said the civilian casualties included women, men, children and elderly people, adding that nationals from Lebanon, Palestine, Iraq and Pakistan were also among the dead.

At the same briefing, Farideh Oladqobad, a deputy head of the foundation, said 499 of the victims were women and 2,969 were men, while the military death toll stood at 2,008.

The report did not provide details on how the figures were verified or whether they had been independently confirmed.

Iranian officials said the fighting began on February 28 when Israel and the United States launched joint strikes on Tehran and other Iranian cities, reportedly killing senior military figures in the initial attacks.

Iran responded with missile and drone strikes targeting Israel and US military bases and assets across the Middle East, according to officials from both sides.

A ceasefire was reached on April 8, while follow-up talks held in Pakistan on April 11 and 12 ended without an agreement, previous reports said.