The first Armenian casualty has been reported in the ongoing U.S.-Israeli strikes on Iran. Hovhannes Simonyan, an Armenian man from Isfahan’s historic New Julfa district, was killed in his office on March 26 during heavy bombardment, Aram Shahnazaryan, editor-in-chief of the Iranian Armenian newspaper Alik, confirmed to Zartonk Media.
Shahnazaryan also said the Armenian victim was an Iranian citizen, though details about his age and profession are not yet known.
According to Iranian authorities, 26 people were killed in the U.S.-Israeli attack on a residential area in Isfahan, south of the capital Tehran. More than half of the victims were women and children, including seven women and seven children, the semi-official Fars News Agency reported, citing the Isfahan Governor’s Office.
At this stage, it remains difficult to determine whether the cultural heritage of the New Julfa Armenian community, including the Savior Cathedral, other churches, old school buildings, the archbishop’s residence, the library, and the Matenadaran, sustained any damage. However, no reports so far suggest that these historic sites were affected.
Isfahan’s New Julfa district is home to one of the oldest Armenian communities outside Armenia. It was established in the early 17th century, when Shah Abbas I forcibly moved 150,000 Armenians there from Julfa, Nakhijevan.
The U.S.-Israeli attack on Iran began on February 28, 2026, and has continued for 28 days, marking nearly a month of sustained military operations. The conflict has involved not only direct strikes on Iranian territory, but also a broader military escalation across the Middle East, including retaliatory missile and drone launches by Iran and heightened tensions throughout the region.
