TEHRAN, Mar 2: A total of 555 people have been killed across Iran in US and Israeli strikes that began two days ago, the Iranian Red Crescent said Monday.
"Following the Zionist-American terrorist attacks carried out in various regions of our country, 131 cities have been affected to date and, regrettably, 555 of our compatriots have been killed," the humanitarian group said in a post on Telegram.
"Thirty-five people have been killed in Fars province in American and Zionist attacks," Tasnim news agency reported Mondayquoting EbrahimBayani, head of the province's state-run martyrs foundation.
"Given the continuation of the enemy air strikes this morning, this number may rise," he added.
Delegates at the United Nations' nuclear agency began meeting on Monday for an extraordinary session on Iran in the wake of the US-Israeli strikes on the Islamic republic.
Russia, a key ally of Tehran, requested the meeting on Saturday at the Vienna-based International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), following the same request by Iran.
The extraordinary meeting precedes an already scheduled regular session of the IAEA's board of governors, which represents 35 countries.
Following the strikes, the IAEA -- which monitors Iran's nuclear programme -- said on Saturday that it was "closely monitoring developments in the Middle East, and urges restraint to avoid any nuclear safety risks to people in the region".
Gulf states vowed to defend themselves against Iranian attacks, including by "responding to the aggression" if need be, after the Gulf Cooperation Council convened via video-link on Sunday to formulate a unified response.
The foreign ministers of the six GCC states -- the UAE, Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, Oman, Qatar and Kuwait, all of which have experienced Iranian strikes -- "reviewed the extensive damage resulting from the treacherous Iranian attacks" and discussed steps for restoring stability in the region.
Gulf countries "will take all necessary measures to defend their security and stability and to protect their territories, citizens, and residents, including the option of responding to the aggression", a statement released after the meeting said.
It also called for the "immediate cessation of these attacks", adding that the stability of the "Gulf region is not merely a regional concern but a fundamental pillar of global economic stability".
Iran began firing missiles and drones at targets across the Gulf, where the United States maintains a clutch of bases, after the US and Israel launched a major campaign against the Islamic republic that killed its supreme leader. "AFP
