SOURCES ADDED TO RESEARCH DOC, WITHDRAWN 2026-05-06, HOOMAN APPEARS TO HAVE BEEN A MILITANT

A nurse at Valiasr and Bethat Hospitals and Police Special Unit Officer, Hooman Ghiathvand, aged 27, was killed in an alleged Israeli strike in Tehran, Iran, on 23 June 2025. Sources indicate that Hooman was “on the front lines” when he was killed, but it is unclear whether he was working in a medical capacity or actively participating in hostilities. As such, his civilian status has been recorded as “contested”. This will be updated should additional information become available.

Multiple news reports did not list the location where Hooman was killed. Both the Valiasr Hospital and Bethat Hospital were reportedly struck on the same day that he died. However, none of the reports specify where he was killed. Hooman’s mother told IRNA that “In the very first hours of the war, early in the morning, his commander called and told him to return, and Hooman immediately went on his mission to defend the homeland, which was his top priority, and he never returned.” As those working in humanitarian response in Iran are frequently memorialised in a nationalistic manner, this quote has not been taken to absolutely indicate that Hooman was actively engaged in hostilities.

IRNA went on to remember Hooman as a “high-ranking martyr” who served “in the guise of a nurse with a selfless spirit and exemplary commitment” and “was present on the front line of serving the wounded and injured”. The quote concluded, writing that Hooman “sacrificed his life in defense of humanity and the lofty ideals of the Islamic Revolution.”

Sources remembered Hooman as both a nurse and member of the police, with some remembering him as affiliated with the Police Special Unit, Faraja, and Basij. Airwars generally records those working in a domestic security capacity, i.e., with the police, as civilians unless sources specify that the individual was directly participating in hostilities. IRNA seems to indicate that Hooman was “present on the frontlines” in a humanitarian capacity, serving the wounded and injured, and not a militant capacity. Still, as it is unclear, his civilian status has been recorded as “contested”. This will be updated should additional information become available.

According to multiple sources, he was the Hamedan Province, but living and working in Tehran when he was killed. He is survived by his wife, Mardeh Salimi, and their two-year-old son, Horam Ghiathvand.

According to the Hamshahri newspaper, Hooman was a resident of the Piroozi neighborhood in Tehran. He was part of both the country’s security and health fields as a second lieutenant of Faraja special units and a nurse of Bethat Hospital. The newspaper also cited that he was a custodian of the shrine of Hazrat Abdul Azim and was responsible for the shrine’s vehicle vaccination during the coronavirus. He had a master’s degree in general psychology and was also educated in nursing.

His wife, Mardeh Salimi, who is an employee of Bethat Hospital, described Hooman, “He was very well-mannered, kind, with excellent public relations, and very eloquent. He was a family man, a homebody, and a Basij member. In his behavior and actions, he was very committed to the principles of mahram and non-mahram, and he always acted politely.” She added: “Hooman always took the initiative to help others. Whenever there was a problem in the family or among friends, he would rush to help without hesitation and solve the problems of others.”

His wife, referencing his family life, said, “I will never forget Homan’s good morals and responsibility. At home and at work, he was always exemplary. Despite being very busy, he did not neglect his family and was always helpful with household chores. He did his best to keep us calm. “Now, even though our son, Horam, is 2 years old, every now and then when he sees his father’s picture, he goes to his picture frame and talks to him or calls his name many times throughout the day, and the emptiness in Homan is felt even more. I ask God to help us bear this pain.”

He had a close relationship with his mother, and his wife said, “He always visited that martyr’s mother. This martyr’s mother had no close relatives or acquaintances. She did her housework and shopping with love and enthusiasm. When this mother heard the news of Hooman’s martyrdom, she was so saddened that it was as if she had lost one of her children. I will try to continue the path she had chosen to help others after Hooman.”

According to the Holy Defense News Agency, Hooman’s body was transferred to his hometown of Malayer for his funeral ceremony on Thursday, 2 July from 9:30 a.m. from Azadegan Square to the Martyrs’ Cemetery of Behesht Hajar.

Regarding his death, his wife said to the Hamshahri newspaper, “Homan’s colleagues, given their love for him, were as shocked as we were by the news of his martyrdom. Homan’s body was identified after a week through a DNA test. Unfortunately, his body was severely damaged and his head had been severed, so that after seeing his body, I may not be the same person I was before. According to the martyr’s will, we buried his body in his hometown of Malayer, but his memory is still alive.”

A photo of the deceased was posted on Instagram by the Iranian Nursing Organization @nezamparastari.

Where sources identified a belligerent, all sources attributed the strike to the Israeli military.