The first known combat use of America’s newest long-range missile did not occur on a battlefield. According to Iranian officials, it unfolded over residential neighborhoods, a sports complex, and a school in the southern Iranian city of Lamerd, leaving dozens of civilians dead and wounded within seconds.

On the evening of February 28, 2026, the Iranian city of Lamerd was struck by four US-launched Precision Strike Missiles (PrSMs), the newest weapon in the American arsenal, in what marked the missile’s first known combat deployment.

The attack targeted two residential neighborhoods, the Shahid Naeimi Sports Complex, and a nearby kindergarten and school where children and teenagers had gathered for sports and recreation.

Twenty-one civilians were killed, including boys on a football field, schoolgirls playing volleyball, and other non-combatant men and women. Nearly 150 more were wounded, with many left permanently disabled by their injuries.

Syed Musa Musavi, the representative of Lamerd and Mehr in the Iranian Parliament, described the Lamerd attack as one of the “most horrific crimes of the Ramadan War” and “further evidence of the United States’ false claims regarding human rights.”

Providing new details about the devastating strike, Musavi stated that the missiles used in the attack were being employed operationally for the first time anywhere in the world. According to him, all four missiles struck within a span of less than 35 seconds. The weapons used were Precision Strike Missiles (PrSMs), which detonated approximately 30 to 40 meters above the ground rather than upon impact. As a result, no impact craters were left at the strike sites.

Instead, each missile dispersed roughly 180,000 tungsten fragments over the targeted area. In less than 35 seconds, an estimated 720,000 tungsten projectiles rained down on the residents of two small neighborhoods, turning the area into a scene of devastation.

Many of the wounded still carry dozens of tungsten fragments embedded in their bodies. Some have lost their sight, others have undergone amputations, and countless families continue to endure the long and difficult process of treatingtheir injured children.

Beyond the physical wounds, the attack has left deep psychological scars. A number of children have not only been forced to abandon the football fields and volleyball courts they once loved, but have also told their families they no longer wish to continue their education. The terror they experienced on that day, and the trauma that followed, has fundamentally altered the course of their young lives.

The youngest victim of the attack was two-year-old Avina Barzegar, whose pacifier and doll have since become among the most heartbreaking symbols of the tragedy. Avina was playing in the courtyard of her home when she was struck by shrapnel and killed.

More than 100 days later, the scars of the attack remain visible throughout the city. The walls of homes and surrounding streets are still marked by countless punctures from tungsten fragments. Musavi noted that in one damaged house that has yet to be repaired, more than 700 tungsten impact marks can still be counted.

Musavi stressed that the targets were entirely civilian in nature. He stated that Lamerd contained no missile facilities, military bases, naval units, drone installations, senior military officials, or other military objectives. According to him, none of those killed or injured in the attack were military personnel. 

Just weeks after the missile’s reported combat debut, the US Army sought a major increase in PrSM procurement. Defense Scoop reported that the Army’s fiscal year 2027 budget request included nearly $2 billion for 1,134 missiles, reflecting a significant expansion of production following the weapon’s introduction into operational use.

Imperial powers not only target civilian populations that resist their hegemony, but also use them as testing grounds for advanced weaponry, often without fear of meaningful accountability.

This event raises profound questions about human rights violations, war crimes, accountability, and impunity.The Lamerd attack once again highlights the hierarchical valuation of human life that is central to imperialism, revealing how human rights discourse is often selectively applied and instrumentalized to advance expansionist objectives. As a result, the value of human life becomes contingent upon geography and identity, with populations in places such as Iran rendered as expendable within the logic of empire.