U.S. Media Reveals U.S. Military Dropped Heavy Bombs on Iranian Residential Areas

Xinhua News Agency, Beijing, August 1 - U.S. media disclosed that during a U.S. airstrike on July 30 in Iran, a heavy bomb was dropped on a residential area without military facilities, resulting in the deaths of three people.

The New York Times reported on July 31 that, based on analysis of satellite images, on-site footage, and expert assessments, the U.S. military dropped a Mark-84 bomb on a densely populated residential area on Qeshm Island in southern Iran on July 30. This bomb weighs 2,000 pounds (907 kilograms) and is one of the largest conventional bombs used by the U.S. military, leaving a crater at least 9 meters in diameter at the airstrike site.

The Iranian side stated that several residential buildings were damaged in this airstrike, with the parents and their 2-year-old child from one family killed, and two other children injured and rescued from the rubble.

The report stated that, based on analysis, there were no military facilities around the bombing site, and it is unclear why the U.S. military targeted this residential area. Multiple military experts indicated that based on the size of the crater, the extent of building damage, and bomb fragments, this was a satellite-guided Mark-84 heavy bomb. One expert noted that the bomb appeared to have detonated underground rather than on impact, and the sandy soil absorbed some of the explosion's energy; otherwise, the damage from the explosion on the surface would have been greater.

A spokesperson for the U.S. Central Command stated that they are investigating reports of civilian casualties from the airstrike but did not answer questions regarding what target the U.S. military struck, what type of munitions were used, or whether measures were taken to prevent civilian casualties, only stating that U.S. actions "never target civilians."

On February 28, the first day of a large-scale military operation by the U.S. and Israel against Iran, an elementary school in Iran was struck, resulting in approximately 170 fatalities, most of whom were students, and hundreds more injured. Several media outlets later reported, citing informed sources, that the U.S. military database had warned that intelligence regarding multiple Iranian targets was severely outdated, but senior U.S. military officials ignored the alerts and approved strikes on several targets, including the elementary school. U.S. media reported in July that the military's investigation into this incident had been shelved for months. (Hui Xiaoshuang)