Iran raises death toll from war to 935, won't guarantee safety of nuclear inspectors

Australia Broadcast Center

30-06-2025

Iran has raised the official death toll for its 12-day war with Israel, with official media reporting that 935 people were killed in the country based on the latest forensic data.
Among the dead were 38 children and 132 women, said Asghar Jahangir, a spokesman for the Iranian judiciary.
Iran also criticised US President Donald Trump's comments on potentially striking Iran again and his shifting stance on whether to lift economic sanctions.
Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baghaei said the comments were "games" and not aimed at solving the problems between the two countries.
"These [statements by Trump] should be viewed more in the context of psychological and media games than as a serious expression in favour of dialogue or problem-solving," he said.
Mr Trump said he was not speaking to Iran and was not offering the country "anything", and reiterated his assertion that the United States had "totally obliterated" Tehran's nuclear facilities.
The death toll was a sharp increase from a previous Iranian Health Ministry tally of 610 killed in Iran before a ceasefire went into effect on Tuesday last week.
Mr Baghaei said Israel's "act of aggression had led to many war crimes".
He said Iran would transfer evidence to international organisations, which he said should hold Israel to account.
"The Zionist regime's [Israel] action was done without any reason or justification, therefore we do not believe in separating military and civilian [victims]," he said during his latest press briefing.
He said any "martyr or destroyed building is an example of war crimes".
Late last week, a hardline Iranian newspaper said International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) boss Rafael Grossi should be tried and executed as an Israeli agent.
Mr Grossi did not respond to the newspaper, but did say his top priority was ensuring IAEA inspectors could return to nuclear sites in Iran as soon as possible.
Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mr Baghaei said Iran could not yet be expected to guarantee the safety of IAEA inspectors.
"How can they expect us to ensure the safety and security of the agency's inspectors when Iran's peaceful nuclear facilities were attacked a few days ago?" he said.
Iran's ambassador to the United Nations, Amir Saeid Iravani, denied that there was any threat against Mr Grossi.
But Iran has increasingly criticised him and threatened to halt cooperation with the IAEA, which Tehran blames for providing a justification for Israel's bombing.
Iran's President Masoud Pezeshkian told French President Emmanuel Macron in a phone call on Monday that the IAEA's "double standards" had created problems for regional and global security, Iranian state media reported.
"The view of the Iranian government, parliament, and people is that the IAEA director has not acted impartially in relation to our country's nuclear file," the reports quote Mr Pezeshkian as saying.
Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi has said Mr Grossi was not welcome in Iran, having carried out "malign action" and played a "regrettable role".
Britain, France and Germany denounced threats against the head of the UN nuclear watchdog.
"France, Germany and the United Kingdom condemn threats against the Director General of the IAEA Rafael Grossi and reiterate our full support to the Agency and the DG in carrying out their mandate," said a statement from the three countries' foreign ministries.
"We call on Iranian authorities to refrain from any steps to cease cooperation with the IAEA."
ABC/wires