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Airwars Assessment
At around 11:30 p.m. on Monday, the 16 of June 2025, an alleged Israeli drone strike hit two trailers travelling on the Tehran-Qom highway en route to Khorramabad. The strike devastated a car belonging to the Gholami family, travelling nearby, killing a girl, a prominent Iranian athlete, and injuring her family members – her father, mother and siblings.
Helena Gholami, a 12-year-old girl from Lorestan, and her family members, including her parents and siblings, were travelling in one of the vehicles from Tehran to Khorramabad. Helena was taken to Tehran’s 7th Tir Hospital and died five days later, on June 21, having fallen into a coma.
According to Haft Sobh, the injured family members were immediately taken to Tehran’s Haftom Tir Hospital where Helena’s father and siblings were treated. Her mother, who was more seriously injured, was still hospitalised at the moment of reporting by this news outlet.
Helena was a prominent athlete, a champion of the Kyokushin Karate Asia, and a member of the Iranian women’s national karate team. Reporting about her death, @TehranTimes79 posted an image of a young girl dressed in a white karate uniform with a yellow belt, wearing a medal around their neck on a black-and-gold ribbon. She is seen holding a gold-coloured trophy, shaped like a small figure on top of a pedestal, in one hand, and a certificate of championship in the other hand, where it is written “First Asian Tournament of Kyokushin Karate.”
Her mother remembered her daughter in an interview with Fars News Agency, Lorestan: “My beautiful Rolle… My kind Rolle…Helena was the flower of our home. Kind, sweet, and full of life. With every tear she shed, I cried too, and in my heart I said: May God destroy the cause and author of the shedding of innocent blood.” The mother also added that her daughter always wanted to win: “She wanted to be the best. Since childhood, she had built her life with sports and with love; she won medals one after another. Now, with her martyrdom, she came first.”
Helena’s mother also recalled the details of the incident that took the life of her daughter: “That day, they were returning to Khorramabad, at around 11:30 p.m. A terrible explosion occurred. Helena was injured, and part of her face was burned. She was taken to Haft-Tir Hospital in Rey and was in a coma for three days.” The mother added that Helena had just turned twelve on June 10th.
Helena’s coach, Rezvan Beiranvand, also emphasised Helena’s ambitions and achievements: “She started Kyokushin at the age of six. She was disciplined, moral, hardworking and kind. She always attended training and rarely missed classes. She had many positions in provincial, national and Asian competitions and was often the first. Her most important medal is the Asian medal, which she won by defeating four strong opponents.”
Mr. Farashi, a close relative of the family, said in an interview with the “Haft Sobh” reporter: “Helena was an angel. She always had a smile on her face. Even in the most difficult training sessions, she did not despair. She was a sweet-spoken, lovely and very intelligent girl. Even now, when I am talking about her, I cannot believe that she is no longer with us when I remember the lovely little girl of the family.
Gholamreza Ghandipour, head of the Lorestan Karate Federation, also mourned the death of Helena “The loss of this 11-year-old athlete is a great loss not only for the Lorestan sports community, but also for the entire country. Talents like Helena are rare. We have lost not only a champion, but also a bright future.”
Where sources identified the belligerent, all sources attributed the strike to the Israeli military.
Victims
Family members (5)
Geolocation Notes
Reports of the incident mention Tehran-Qom Highway (الطريق السريع بين طهران وقم), officially known as Persian Gulf Freeway 7 (آزادراه خلیج فارس – شماره ۷), for which the generic coordinates are: 35.203506, 51.064727. Due to limited satellite imagery and information available to Airwars, we were unable to verify the location further.