6,530 killed, including 640 civilians, in first 25 days of Iran war, Hengaw’s seventh report shows
Hengaw – Tuesday, March 24, 2026
As the war between the United States, Israel and the Islamic Republic of Iran enters its twenty-fifth day, Hengaw Organization for Human Rights is releasing its seventh report while expressing serious concern over the rising number of civilian casualties.
According to statistics confirmed by Hengaw’s Statistics and Documentation Center, by the end of the twenty-fifth day of the war at least 6,530 people had been killed, including 640 civilians, representing 9.8 percent of the total casualties, while 5,890 were Iranian military and government forces.
Breakdown of casualties and geographic scope of attacks
Based on Hengaw’s field documentation, from February 28, 2026, to March 24, 2026, military and government centers of the Islamic Republic of Iran were targeted by Israeli and U.S. air and missile strikes in at least 186 cities across 26 provinces of Iran.
These targets included Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) bases, Basij centers, military airports, missile sites, police stations, judicial institutions, intelligence headquarters, army barracks and special forces bases.
According to information collected by Hengaw, at least 5,890 Iranian military and government forces have been killed so far, most of them from the Air Force, the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), and the army. The highest military casualties have been recorded in Tehran, Kermanshah, Hormozgan, Alborz, Khuzestan, Kurdistan and Sistan and Baluchestan provinces.
Hengaw emphasizes that the security institutions of the Islamic Republic have adopted a policy of systematic concealment regarding casualty figures. In the few instances where official numbers were released, they were significantly lower than the realities documented in the field.
At least 640 civilians killed in the first 25 days of the war
Hengaw confirms that the highest number of civilian casualties has been recorded in Tehran, Hormozgan, Kermanshah, Fars, Alborz, Ilam, Markazi and Lorestan provinces. According to Hengaw’s findings, 640 civilians have been killed in these attacks so far, representing 9.8 percent of the total casualties.
Among the civilians killed, Hengaw has confirmed the deaths of 130 children under the age of 18 and 173 women. Iranian state media and officials had previously claimed that 167 children were killed in a school in Minab. However, after 25 days, only 58 victims from that school have been identified, including 48 children and 10 adults.
Hengaw has received multiple reports indicating that military forces of the Islamic Republic abandoned official bases and instead deployed in civilian locations, including schools, student dormitories and mosques located in residential areas. According to the Geneva Conventions, this constitutes the use of human shields and has placed civilian lives at serious risk.
Heavy military casualties in Kurdistan and continued concealment of statistics
During the first 25 days of the war, Israeli and U.S. airstrikes heavily targeted military and government locations, and in 35 cities across Ilam, Kermanshah, Kurdistan and West Azerbaijan (Urmia) provinces, at least 242 military bases and security centers of the Islamic Republic were struck.
Hengaw’s investigations show that during the first 25 days of the war, at least 1,510 Iranian military and government forces were killed in these four provinces.
At least 98 civilians were also killed in these attacks, with the highest numbers recorded in Urmia, Sanandaj (Sine), Divandarreh, Ivan Gharb, Ilam, Naqadeh, Bukan and Kermanshah.
Hengaw had previously reported that security institutions avoid announcing accurate military casualty figures, especially in Kurdistan cities, and when figures are released, they are significantly lower than the actual numbers. Hengaw stresses the necessity of transparency in announcing the identities of victims and the protection of civilian lives in armed conflicts in accordance with international conventions.
Hengaw’s call
Referring to the Fourth Geneva Convention on the protection of civilians during war, Hengaw states that all parties involved in the conflict are obligated to make a clear and absolute distinction between military and civilian targets.
Hengaw calls on the international community, especially the United Nations Security Council and human rights monitoring bodies, to pressure the parties to the conflict and to closely monitor the Islamic Republic’s policy of concealment, and to immediately activate protective mechanisms to safeguard civilian lives.
