‘Flagrant war crime’: Iran demands punishment for perpetrators of US-Israeli strike on Pasteur Institute

Tehran has denounced the deliberate attack on the Pasteur Institute of Iran during the recent US-Israeli war of aggression, saying those behind the “flagrant war crime” should be brought to justice.

In an X post on Friday, Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei highlighted a report by the medical journal The Lancet that warned damage to the Pasteur Institute of Iran threatens regional health security.

He said that attacking a century-old scientific and public health institution is not merely an attack on a building, but an assault on people’s right to health, science, and life.

“The American-Israeli deliberate attack on the Pasteur Institute of Iran was a flagrant war crime. The perpetrators must be held accountable,” he added.

Baghaei also cited part of The Lancet report that described the Pasteur Institute of Iran as “a pillar of the country’s public health system for more than a century...The loss of the institute is not merely symbolic; it represents a real, immediate, and dangerous threat to public health. [...] This is not solely a national issue; regional health security is also at risk."

The Pasteur Institute of Iran was bombed on April 1 and April 2, with its headquarters and 13 source laboratories levelled.

The criminal attack took place during the illegal US-Israeli aggression on the Islamic Republic that began on February 28 and stopped under a Pakistan-brokered ceasefire on April 8.‌

The iconic medical research center was founded in 1920 through an agreement between the Pasteur Institute of Paris and the Iranian government with the goal of ensuring public health.

Throughout its history, the Pasteur Institute of Iran has played a key role in controlling many infectious diseases both in the country and worldwide. It has also been one of the pioneers and key hubs of vaccine production in the region.

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