On June 23, 2025, the already tense relationship between Israel and Iran reached a harrowing new peak when Israeli airstrikes hit Evin Prison in Tehran, a facility infamous for housing political activists and dissidents. The attack came during a 12-day war that left more than 1,100 dead in Iran and 28 in Israel, according to the Associated Press. The conflict, which erupted after Israeli jets struck key Iranian nuclear and military sites, quickly escalated into a series of retaliatory moves, culminating in a barrage of Iranian missiles launched over Israel.
The strikes on Evin Prison were especially shocking. Human Rights Watch alleged on August 14, 2025, that the airstrike constituted "an apparent war crime," describing it as "unlawfully indiscriminate" and noting the absence of any advance warning or clear military target. The attack destroyed buildings housing medical facilities and prison wards, hitting both the main southern and northern entrances. Initial Iranian reports counted at least 71 dead, including inmates, visiting relatives, and prison staff. Later, Iranian media raised the death toll to 80.
Michael Page, deputy Middle East director at Human Rights Watch, condemned the assault, stating, "To make matters worse, Israeli forces put at grave risk prisoners who were already victims of Iranian authorities’ brutal repression." The organization estimates that Evin Prison held more than 1,500 prisoners at the time of the strike. The Israeli military did not respond to requests for comment regarding the Human Rights Watch allegations, as reported by the Associated Press.
The aftermath of the bombing was chaotic and, according to Human Rights Watch, deeply troubling. Iranian authorities evacuated the survivors and transferred them to two other facilities in Tehran province. By August 8, officials announced that prisoners were gradually being returned to Evin. While Iranian state media claimed these transfers were peaceful and orderly, relatives and Human Rights Watch painted a different picture. They reported that some political prisoners were beaten with batons and "electric shock weapons" for resisting handcuffs and protesting the separation of death-row inmates. The rights group also highlighted that some prisoners have since disappeared, including Swedish-Iranian doctor Ahmadreza Djalali, who is at risk of execution. Iran, according to Human Rights Watch, has refused to provide any information about his whereabouts.
Page urged, "Iranian authorities should not use Israel’s strikes on Evin prison as another opportunity to subject prisoners, including those who should never have been in prison in the first place, to ill-treatment." The Associated Press noted that calls to Iranian authorities for comment went unanswered, as the day of the report was a public holiday in Iran.
The conflict’s political reverberations were swift and sharp. On August 12, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu released a video message directly addressing the people of Iran. He called on them "to be bold and brave, take risk for freedom, take to the streets, demand justice and protest tyranny." Netanyahu went further, promising that if there were a regime change in Iran, Israel would send its top water experts to help with the country’s ongoing water crisis. "Soon your country will be free. Now is the time for action," he declared.
This overt appeal did not go unanswered. Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi dismissed Netanyahu’s message as foolish, stating on August 14, "God has created our enemies foolish; these threadbare, repetitive and childish tricks no longer work." Araghchi asserted that the Iranian people firmly stand behind the Islamic Republic and downplayed the offer of Israeli water expertise, remarking, "Our own specialists know the methods of water regeneration and new ways of securing water… the problem has no miraculous solution and cannot be resolved overnight."
President Masoud Pezeshkian of Iran was even more scathing, taking to X (formerly Twitter) to mock Netanyahu’s offer. "A regime that deprives Gaza of water and food now says it will bring water to Iran? A MIRAGE, NOTHING MORE," he wrote. The sharp rebuke underscored the deep mistrust and animosity between the two governments, even as ordinary Iranians continue to face water shortages and other hardships.
Secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council, Ali Larijani, weighed in as well, arguing that Netanyahu had badly misjudged the Iranian public mood. According to Hezbollah-affiliated Al Mayadeen, Larijani said, "The enemy wanted to create sedition in the Islamic Republic and drag people into the streets — just as Netanyahu openly urged — but this was Netanyahu’s foolishness because he thought the people of Iran like him." Larijani contended that even the Islamic Republic’s domestic opponents stood alongside the state during the crisis, and he warned that Iran was ready to respond forcefully to any new Israeli attacks.
Behind the scenes, the stakes were even higher than most realized at the time. The Washington Post reported in July 2025 that Israel was preparing a final wave of attacks aimed at toppling Iran’s ruling system during the 12-day war. According to Israeli and American officials involved in the operation, this plan was abruptly halted when then-US President Donald Trump announced a ceasefire on June 23. David Ignatius, writing for The Washington Post, explained, "When Trump declared a ceasefire, Israel was moving into a final phase of attacks intended to topple the regime." The ceasefire, which ended the 12-day conflict, was marked by US strikes on Iranian nuclear sites—an escalation that brought the region to the brink.
Both Netanyahu and Trump made little secret of their hopes for regime change in Iran. Trump posted on Truth Social in late June, "It’s not politically correct to use the term, 'Regime Change,' but if the current Iranian Regime is unable to MAKE IRAN GREAT AGAIN, why wouldn’t there be a Regime change??? MIGA!!!" The provocative rhetoric from both leaders fueled speculation about the true aims of the military campaign and the future of Iran’s government.
Yet, for many Iranians, the immediate reality was far from the visions of liberation painted by foreign leaders. The devastation at Evin Prison, the deaths of dozens of innocents, and the reports of continued abuse by authorities cast a long shadow. Human Rights Watch’s warnings about apparent war crimes and the ongoing plight of political prisoners serve as a sobering reminder of the human cost of geopolitical brinkmanship.
As the dust settles, the region remains fraught with tension, and the scars of June’s conflict are still fresh. Calls for justice and accountability ring out from international organizations, but the prospects for meaningful change—either in Iran’s government or in the cycle of violence between Tehran and Jerusalem—remain uncertain.
