U.S. Central Command issued a warning Sunday urging civilians in Iran to remain indoors as the war in Iran widens, accusing Tehran of launching attacks from densely populated areas that could put residents at risk.
CENTCOM said in a statement that Iranian forces are using populated cities to launch missiles and drones during the war.
The command said the Iranian regime is using heavily populated areas to launch one-way attack drones and ballistic missiles. It warned that locations used for military purposes could lose protections under international law and become legitimate targets.
IRAN’S SPRAY-AND-PRAY STRATEGY AIMS TO WIDEN THE BATTLEFIELD, SPREAD CONSEQUENCES
“Iran’s terrorist regime is blatantly disregarding civilian lives by attacking Gulf partners while compromising the safety of their own people,” the commander of CENTCOM, Adm. Brad Cooper, said.
The warning comes as the conflict between Iran, Israel, and the United States enters its second week following large-scale strikes that began Feb. 28 targeting Iranian military infrastructure and leadership.
Iran has responded with missile and drone attacks across the region.
Bahrain accused Iran of striking a water treatment plant Sunday, prompting alarm that the war will target civilian infrastructure critical to water supplies in the Gulf.
The U.S. and Israel say they have targeted missile launch sites, military bases, and other facilities tied to Iran’s armed forces and its Revolutionary Guard.
Iran placed blame on the U.S. for setting the precedent for the location of attacks and accused the U.S. of damaging a desalination plant in Iran’s Qeshm Island earlier in the conflict. Iran’s foreign minister, Abbas Araghchi, said that such strikes created a precedent for attacks on critical water infrastructure.
The warning from CENTCOM also comes as fighting has expanded beyond Iran’s borders. Iranian missiles and drones have been intercepted in Qatar, Kuwait, and Saudi Arabia.
BAHRAIN ACCUSES IRAN OF STRIKING DESALINATION PLANT AS ISRAEL HITS OIL FACILITY IN TEHRAN
Israeli forces also struck an oil storage facility in Tehran over the weekend and renewed attacks against Hezbollah-linked targets in Lebanon.
The attack on the oil facility appeared to mark one of the first known attacks on a civilian industrial energy site since the conflict began. Iran called Israel’s strike “deliberate chemical warfare.”
