Strike on Larestan courthouse kills at least 8 — civilians and judicial staff among dead in southern Iran

Iran's judiciary confirmed on March 18, 2026 that an 'enemy attack' struck a judiciary site — a courthouse complex — in Larestan County in southern Fars Province. The Times-Tribune reported at least eight people were killed; additional personnel were wounded. Victims included both civilians using the court facility and judicial staff. Larestan is located in southern Iran approximately 140 km north of the Strait of Hormuz. The courthouse complex is a civilian judicial facility, not a military installation. Iran's judiciary's Mizan news agency, which is the official communications arm of the Iranian judicial system, issued the report. No state attribution was made publicly, though Iran characterised the strike as an 'enemy attack', consistent with the ongoing US-Israel military campaign. The strike on a courthouse marks a pattern of strikes against Iranian governmental and institutional infrastructure throughout the war. Fars Province has been targeted previously — the province contains the Bushehr nuclear site on its northern coast — and Larestan's proximity to Hormuz gives it strategic relevance.