TEHRAN – A senior Iranian health official on Saturday announced that investigations into U.S.-Israeli strikes on the city of Lamerd in Fars province have revealed evidence of phosphorus-contaminated munitions.
Shahin Akhoundzadeh, Deputy Minister of Health for Research and Technology, told a press conference that field studies at bombed sites in Lamerd confirmed the use of phosphorus-laced bombs. 
Similar evidence has been found in Bushehr province, though the situation in Fars is more severe.
“The wounds that should have healed in two weeks have, in some cases, taken three to four months to heal and have become chronic wounds,” Akhoundzadeh said. 
He added that several of the injured have sustained permanent health damage. The Health Ministry conducted field investigations to document the effects of the attacks and plans to publish the findings in international forums to “document the victimization of civilians”.
He also detailed the extensive destruction of the Pasteur Institute—a century-old WHO Collaborating Centre—and warned that international sanctions are preventing reconstruction.
The Pasteur Institute of Iran—a 106-year-old WHO Collaborating Centre and member of the global Pasteur Network—was bombed three times during the U.S.-Israeli war that began on February 28 and ended with a ceasefire on April 8.
The terrorist attacks, which occurred on March 23, April 1, and April 2, destroyed approximately 1,600 square meters of buildings at the institute’s downtown Tehran campus.
Lost units include the departments of Malaria, Cell Bank, Clinical Research, and Biotechnology, as well as buildings housing Information Technology, Engineering, and Physical Protection. 
Laboratory equipment, consumables, and irreplaceable biological samples—including cellular, plasmid, bacterial, and viral stocks—were destroyed.
According to an article published in The Lancet, the destruction includes the institute’s reference laboratories for genomic surveillance, rabies, HIV/AIDS, viral hepatitis, and vector-borne diseases—facilities essential for monitoring and responding to disease outbreaks.
Akhoundzadeh emphasized that the destruction has been compounded by the impact of international sanctions, which make reconstruction nearly impossible. 
Iran’s Science and Technology Ministry has reported that at least 30 universities have come under fire. UNESCO Secretary-General Hassan Fartousi documented damage to 149 universities, including Isfahan University of Technology, Isfahan University of Art, and Iran University of Science and Technology.
Other targets included a laser and plasma research center at Shahid Beheshti University, an AI center 
at Sharif University of Technology, an IVF clinic at Tehran’s Ghandi Hospital, and individual faculty members killed in their homes. 
Dr. Saeed Shamghadri, an associate professor at Isfahan University of Technology, was killed in an airstrike along with his family.
Iran’s Health Minister Mohammad-Reza Zafarghandi told the World Health Assembly that 376 children under 18 were killed in the aggression, more than 33,000 civilians injured, 63 hospitals damaged, and 195 other health-related facilities struck. 
At the Geneva assembly, Zafarghandi cited a missile attack on a school in Minab on February 28 that killed 168 students and teachers. 
Iran’s health system has documented over 240 attacks on hospitals or treatment centers, with at least 41 ambulances destroyed and 24 healthcare workers killed.