Claim
Ehsan Mostafavi said US-Israeli attacks on the institute were aimed at undermining public health resilience
Attributed to Ehsan Mostafavi, director of Iran's Pasteur Institute on Press TV
Evidence
Searches found that the Pasteur Institute of Iran was hit in strikes, including a 2 April blast that Science magazine described as its third and most destructive. Science quoted director Ehsan Mostafavi on the damage and on his staff being unharmed. Radio Zamaneh reported that he said the central Tehran building was badly damaged but vaccine and biological production was largely spared. I did not find the Press TV article. I found no quote from Mostafavi saying the attacks were meant to undermine public health resilience. I found no fact-check of this claim by Reuters, AFP, Bellingcat or EUvsDisinfo. My last search attempts hit a tool limit, so the search was incomplete.
Assessment
Independent outlets confirm the strikes and that Mostafavi is the director. I could not find the specific attributed statement or any fact-check of it, so it can't be verified.
Confidence
Little or no independent corroboration was found - this reflects the current state of public evidence, not a guess.
Timeline
Oct 27, 2026, 9:34 AM UTC
UnverifiedInitial assessment.
First observed Oct 27, 2026, 9:34 AM UTC · Last reviewed Oct 27, 2026, 9:34 AM UTC