ISTANBUL 

The US Central Command (CENTCOM) on Sunday said it “cannot guarantee” the safety of civilians in or near facilities used by Iran for military purposes, warning that such sites may become “legitimate military targets under international law.”

Iranian authorities are “using heavily populated civilian areas to conduct military operations, including launching one-way attack drones and ballistic missiles” from cities such as Dezful, Isfahan, and Shiraz, CENTCOM said in a statement on the US social media company X.

The command said this practice “risks the lives of all civilians in Iran” because locations used “for military purposes lose protected status and could become legitimate military targets under international law.”

CENTCOM issued “a safety warning to civilians in Iran” and urged civilians in Iran to remain at home and warned that the Iranian authorities are “knowingly endangering innocent lives.”

“Iranian forces are jeopardizing the safety of innocent people throughout the Middle East by deliberately and indiscriminately targeting civilian airports, hotels, and residential neighborhoods,” the statement added.

It also cited Adm. Brad Cooper, commander of CENTCOM, as saying that “Iran’s terrorist regime is blatantly disregarding civilian lives by attacking Gulf partners while compromising the safety of their own people.”

The statement said that Iran has launched hundreds of ballistic missiles and thousands of one-way attack drones since Feb. 28. “However, launch rates have drastically declined as U.S. and partner forces decimate Iran’s military capabilities.”

CENTCOM said that US forces “take every feasible precaution to minimize harm to civilians but cannot guarantee civilian safety in or near facilities used by the Iranian regime for military purposes. Unlike the Iranian regime, U.S. forces do not target or intentionally risk the safety of civilians.”

Regional escalation flared up since Israel and the US launched a joint attack on Iran on Feb. 28, killing more than 1,200 people, including Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, and injuring over 10,000 others.

Tehran retaliated with missile and drone attacks targeting Israel, Iraq, Jordan and Gulf countries that are home to US military assets.