During the escalation of hostilities in the international armed conflict between the Islamic Republic of Iran and the State of Israel, the Iranian Red Crescent Society (IRCS) has had their emergency preparedness and response teams on the ground responding to humanitarian needs.
In areas impacted by the conflict, Iranian Red Crescent relief teams have been conducting search and rescue operations as they look for people believed to be trapped under the debris of buildings damaged by airstrikes.
To date, more than 8,200 relief and rescue personnel have been mobilized to deliver critical services across various regions. These include search and rescue teams, sniffer dog units, assessment teams, and debris removal specialists.
IRCS crews have been combing through the debris and using sniffer dogs to rescue people trapped under the rubble. Meanwhile ambulance teams have provided urgent pre-hospital care and medical evacuations to nearby hospitals for people who have been injured.
Moreover, psychological support teams and volunteers have been working on the ground to help survivors cope with trauma caused by the recent attacks. Additionally, the national psychological support hotline, now operating 24/7, has received over 72,000 calls, and more than 9,900 individuals have benefited from specialized mental health services.
The IRCS Youth Organization’s BAVAR Teams are also actively engaging with affected communities to strengthen preparedness and local resilience through outreach and education.
Meanwhile, safety teams have distributed emergency and safety kits and raised awareness about safety protocols that can save lives during missile attacks.
The Iranian Red Crescent has also helped more than 1,100 people displaced by the fighting to find emergency accommodations.
First responders under fire
The conflict has also led to the deaths of four Iranian Red Crescent emergency responders.
To date, four IRCS staff members (Mehdi Zartaji, Mojtaba Maleki, Amir Hassan Jamshidpour and Yaser Zivari) have been killed in the line of duty, providing rescue and relief services in the provinces of Tehran (2), East Azarbaijan (1), and Hamedan (1).
Two of those emergency responders were killed while driving an ambulance to assist people wounded in an earlier attack in the Shahid Baqeri Township in Tehran on 16 June 2025. The damaged and badly burnt ambulance has been put on display in Tehran's Haft-e Tir Square as a public memorial to the lost ambulance crew.
In addition, the Iranian Red Crescent says that more than two dozen aid workers were injured during the attacks and are currently unable to continue their relief efforts. IRCS ambulances, helicopters and buildings have also been damaged, according to the National Society.
Humanitarian response continues
Despite these chalenging conditions, the humanitarian response continues.. Damaged infrastructure, blockades, and unsafe roads have hindered aid delivery and complicated coordination, especially given restrictions on regional flights.
The presence of unexploded ordnance and other explosive remnants of war adds further danger for both civilians and aid workers, who are often operating in densely affected neighborhoods.
Despite these grave challenges, the Iranian Red Crescent remains steadfast in its mission, delivering life-saving support and solidarity to communities in need.
Their work is being supported in part by a one million Swiss Franc allocation from the IFRC’s Disaster Response Emergency Fund (IFRC-DREF), to provide immediate life-saving assistance to 200,000 people affected by the complex emergency.
This funding directly supports the Iranian Red Crescent's coordinated search and rescue, emergency health services, and psychosocial support, and contributes to strengthening their overall capacity.