WANA (Mar 22) – Pirhossein Kolivand, head of the Iranian Red Crescent Society, has detailed extensive damage to civilian infrastructure caused by recent attacks, describing them as “alarming acts and war crimes” by Israeli and U.S. forces.

 

He urged international bodies to take immediate action to halt assaults on civilians, medical personnel, relief workers, schools, and critical infrastructure, and to ensure legal accountability for perpetrators.

 

According to Kolivand, field assessments indicate that 81,365 civilian units have been damaged across Iran, including 61,555 residential units and 19,020 commercial units. “These figures are not just numbers,” he said.

 

“Behind each unit is a family, a life, a livelihood, a memory, and a future destroyed under the weight of war and violence.” In Tehran province alone, 24,605 units have been affected.

 

The attacks have also targeted essential services. Kolivand reported damage to 275 medical and emergency centers, 498 schools, 17 Red Crescent centers, three helicopters, and 48 operational vehicles, including ambulances, rescue, and support vehicles. “Attacks on these facilities, helicopters, and equipment are not simply destruction of property,” he emphasized. “They represent direct assaults on the lifelines that save human lives.”

 

Human losses have been significant. Ten aid workers were injured in cities including Tehran, Mahabad, and Khomein, and one Red Crescent worker, Hamidreza Jahanbakhsh from Isfahan, was killed while performing rescue duties. “This martyr symbolizes the selflessness, humanitarian spirit, and dedication of aid workers who risk their lives to save others,” Kolivand said.

 

Education and health sectors have also suffered: 206 teachers and students were killed, and 154 injured, while 21 health workers were killed and 103 injured. Many victims were under 18, highlighting the severe impact on children, adolescents, teachers, patients, and families, all of whom should have been protected under humanitarian law.

Emergency personnel work at the site of a strike on a residential building, amid the U.S.-Israeli conflict with Iran, in Tehran, Iran, March 12, 2026. Majid Asgaripour/WANA (West Asia News Agency)

Kolivand stressed that under international humanitarian law, civilians, healthcare personnel, aid workers, hospitals, schools, medical and rescue transport — including helicopters — are afforded special protection and must not be targeted.

 

The Geneva Conventions and their Additional Protocols explicitly safeguard individuals not participating in hostilities. Attacks on schools and hospitals are considered serious violations against children in armed conflicts by U.N. mechanisms.

 

He warned that damaging medical centers, schools, ambulances, rescue helicopters, and aid bases is not merely a material loss; it undermines fundamental principles such as the distinction between military and civilian targets, proportionality, and precaution in attacks.

 

“Any assault on aid workers, patients, students, teachers, and civilian families must be investigated thoroughly, independently, and transparently by competent international bodies, with perpetrators held accountable for the legal and humanitarian consequences,” he said.

 

Kolivand emphasized that the Iranian Red Crescent, within its humanitarian mandate, conducts continuous international follow-ups, reporting damages to civilians, medical centers, schools, aid workers, and relief infrastructure through official channels of the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement and other relevant institutions.

 

Paying tribute to the victims, he added: “The Iranian Red Crescent stands with the people — the wounded, the bereaved, the displaced, and all those affected by violence against humanity. Our aid workers have not left the field despite the danger, and they will not. Our path is saving lives, defending human dignity, and upholding humanitarian principles.”

 

In conclusion, Kolivand called on the international community to act decisively: “Silence in the face of civilian suffering, normalization of attacks on hospitals, schools, ambulances, and aid workers, and indifference to the lives of children and patients is not only a moral failure but a direct weakening of the foundations of international humanitarian law. Today is the time for responsible, transparent, and decisive action to protect humanity.”

Emergency personnel work at the site of a strike on a residential building, amid the U.S.-Israeli conflict with Iran, in Tehran, Iran, March 12, 2026. Majid Asgaripour/WANA (West Asia News Agency)