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Iran releases death toll of Israel's Evin prison attack as officials remain suspicious of ceasefire

6 hours 53 minutes 29 seconds ago Sunday, June 29 2025 Jun 29, 2025 June 29, 2025 8:08 PM June 29, 2025 in News
Source: Associated Press

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — Dozens of staff members, two inmates and a bystander were among the casualties of Israel’s attack last week on Tehran’s Evin prison, a notorious facility where many political prisoners and dissidents have been held.

The death toll from the strike was released Sunday by Iran’s judiciary and confirmed by human rights groups as the one-week mark of the ceasefire between Israel and Iran approaches, despite suspicions on both sides about whether the truce will hold.

Judiciary spokesperson Asghar Jahangir posted on the office’s official Mizan news agency website that at least 71 people were killed by the strike, including staff, soldiers, prisoners and members of visiting families.

While officials did not provide a breakdown of the casualty figures, the Washington-based Human Rights Activists in Iran said at least 35 were staff members and two were inmates. Others killed included a person walking in the prison vicinity and a woman who went to meet a judge about her imprisoned husband’s case, the organization said.

The June 23 attack, the day before the ceasefire between Israel and Iran took hold, hit several prison buildings and prompted concerns from rights groups about inmates’ safety.

It remains unclear why Israel targeted the prison, but it came on a day when the Defense Ministry said it was attacking “regime targets and government repression bodies in the heart of Tehran.”

The news of the prison attack was quickly overshadowed by an Iranian attack on a U.S. base in Qatar later that day, which caused no casualties, and the announcement of the ceasefire.

On the day of the attack, the New York-based Center for Human Rights in Iran criticized Israel for striking the prison, seen as a symbol of the Iranian regime’s repression of any opposition, saying it violated the principle of distinction between civilian and military targets.

It’s unclear how much damage was done to the nuclear program
Much remained unclear about the status of Iran’s nuclear program, which incited the initial Israeli attack. U.S. President Donald Trump says American strikes “obliterated” the program, while Iranians say that he’s exaggerating.

Rafael Grossi, the head of the International Atomic Energy Agency, told CBS’ “Face the Nation” in an interview airing Sunday that Iran’s capacities remain, but it is impossible to access the full damage to the nuclear program unless inspectors are allowed in, which Iranian officials have not allowed.

“It is clear that there has been severe damage, but it’s not total damage, first of all. And secondly, Iran has the capacities there, industrial and technological capacities. So if they so wish, they will be able to start doing this again,” Grossi said.

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