In a message posted on his X account on Thursday, Baqaei described the attack on one of the region’s oldest and most respected public health and research institutions as a deeply disturbing act. He stressed that targeting such a facility goes beyond conventional wartime violations, characterizing it as an assault on fundamental human values and a stark example of ongoing aggression.

“Heartbreaking, cruel, despicable, and utterly outrageous: the American-Israeli aggressors have attacked the Pasteur Institute of Iran — the oldest and most prestigious research and public health center in Iran and the entire Middle East, founded in 1920 through an agreement between the Pasteur Institute of Paris and the Iranian government,” Baqaei said.

“This is not merely another war crime committed as part of an illegal war; it is a barbaric assault on basic human core values,” the spokesman added.

The US and the Israeli regime launched a large-scale unprovoked military campaign against Iran following the assassination of Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyed Ali Khamenei, along with several senior military commanders and civilians on February 28.

The attacks have involved extensive aerial strikes on both military and civilian locations across Iran, causing significant casualties and widespread damage to infrastructure.

In response, the Iranian Armed Forces have carried out retaliatory operations, targeting American and Israeli positions in the occupied territories and at regional bases with waves of missiles and drones.