US-Iran Monitor — 21:30 UTC: Iran accuses US of 'cowardly war crime' after strike near Ahvaz children's hospital

Iran's Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baghaei said on Thursday that the United States carried out a "barbaric" attack near the Shahid Baghaei Specialised Hospital in Ahvaz and accused Washington of a "cowardly war crime," saying 211 patients undergoing chemotherapy were evacuated (https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2026/7/16/iran-condemns-barbaric-us-attack-near-childrens-cancer-hospital). A hospital manager and staff told Al Jazeera the patients — some on oxygen and ventilators — were forced to relocate after a blast so close they thought the building had been hit. The US did not comment specifically on the hospital strike but said it launched another wave of attacks on Iran on Thursday, while Tehran said it targeted US military sites in Jordan and Kuwait (https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2026/7/16/iran-condemns-barbaric-us-attack-near-childrens-cancer-hospital). Al Jazeera reported that Amnesty International concluded Washington was responsible for the strike, calling it at best "a shameful intelligence failure" and at worst "a reckless and indiscriminate attack." Separately, the US State Department has approved a potential $1.96bn weapons sale to Saudi Arabia, intended to bolster the kingdom's air defences as the conflict escalates (https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2026/7/16/us-approves-nearly-2bn-in-weapons-sale-to-saudi-arabia). The State Department said the sale supports US national security objectives by improving the security of a Major non-NATO Ally, with BAE Systems named as the principal contractor. The move comes as Saudi Arabia appears close to renewed confrontation with Yemen's Iran-backed Houthis, who fired missiles at Abha airport on Monday and whose leader, Abdul-Malik al-Houthi, warned this week that Saudi oil and vital facilities would be targets if Riyadh escalates (https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2026/7/16/us-approves-nearly-2bn-in-weapons-sale-to-saudi-arabia). The sale also follows the breakdown of the US–Iran ceasefire and Washington's imposition of a naval blockade. Al Jazeera noted that Iran has also been accused of violating the laws of war, with Saudi Arabia describing Iranian strikes in Bahrain, Jordan and Kuwait as "treacherous" and reporting that some Iranian strikes damaged civilian infrastructure in Gulf states (https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2026/7/16/iran-condemns-barbaric-us-attack-near-childrens-cancer-hospital). The outlet added that deliberately attacking civilian infrastructure is illegal under international law.