A committed pharmacist and a homesick blogger – the Iranian civilians killed in the war

A Pharmacist, A Blogger, and a Young Girl: Iranian Civilians Caught in the Crossfire

In the ongoing conflict, ordinary Iranians like Parastesh Dahaghin and Berivan Molani have become casualties. Dahaghin, a young pharmacist, lost her life in an explosion that hit her workplace. Molani, a 26-year-old lifestyle blogger, was struck by debris from an air strike in Tehran as she slept. The bombardment has left a trail of destruction across the country, with thousands of targets hit in the past three weeks.

Stories Behind the Numbers

For Parastesh Dahaghin, the tragedy unfolded in Tehran’s Apadana neighborhood. Her pharmacy was nearby when an IT company building, linked to Iran’s internet shutdown, was struck. The Iran Human Rights Documentation Center reported the incident. A video online shows mourners gathering for her funeral, with framed photos of her surrounded by candles and flowers.

“She was just doing her job when she was killed,” wrote her brother Poorya on Instagram. He shared how she had insisted on staying at the pharmacy despite her family’s warnings. “People rely on me because others have been injured,” she told him. “They come for medication, and elderly people need their care. I have to stay here and help my people.”

Meanwhile, Eilmah Bilki, a 3-year-old, was among those affected. Kurdish rights group Hengaw provided her image to the BBC, describing how she was severely wounded in an airstrike in early March and died a day later. The war’s reach extends beyond adults, with children like Eilmah bearing the brunt of attacks.

A Homesick Child’s Tragic End

Berivan Molani, a blogger who operated an online clothing shop, had returned to Tehran from northern Iran just the day before her death. She missed home, according to her family. A friend, Razieh Janbaz, noted that Molani’s family was unaware the Iran’s intelligence minister lived across from them. “She was killed in her bed, right before going to sleep, during the missile attack on March 17th,” Janbaz wrote.

Footage from the Iranian Red Crescent shows rescuers clearing rubble to locate her trapped mother. The mother’s desperate plea, “Is my daughter alive?” echoes the heartbreak of a family who lost their child without knowing the target’s identity. Janbaz, a former handball player, arrived at the scene and found only a pair of trainers remaining from her friend’s life.

Children as the Most Vulnerable

Human Rights Activists News Agency (HRANA), based in the US, has documented over 1,400 civilian deaths, with 15% being children. One of the deadliest moments was a missile strike on a primary school in Minab, targeting a nearby military base. Reports suggest US involvement, though the military has not publicly admitted the attack, stating it is under investigation. Hengaw identified 48 children and 10 adults killed in that incident.

Iran does not publicly report its own military losses, but HRANA estimates at least 1,167 personnel have been killed since the conflict began. During the war, many Iranians faced arrest for using the internet. Hengaw claims border guards have been ordered to shoot individuals accessing Iraqi phone and internet networks near the border, as the regime seeks to control both the population and the war’s narrative.

Amid the chaos, fragments of information emerge from the thick smoke of war and an internet blackout. These stories, though sparse, highlight the human cost of the US-Israeli campaign in Iran. “It’s a really heartbreaking situation for people,” said Hengaw’s Awyar Shekhi. “They are terrified,” he added to the BBC. “Earlier this year, they were being killed on the streets.”