TEHRAN – Over the past three days, the Iranian Red Crescent Society (IRCS) provided rescue services to 2,398 people affected by the snowstorms across 20 provinces of the country, according to an official with the IRCS.

From December 31 to January 3, a total of 83 relief teams, consisting of 279 rescuers, helped affected individuals in different provinces, including East Azarbaijan, West Azarbaijan, Ardabil, Isfahan, Alborz, Golestan, and Gilan, the IRCS website quoted Babak Mahmoudi as saying.

Relief teams transported five people (in East Azarbaijan, Zanjan, and Kordestan) to medical centers, provided emergency accommodation for 33 individuals (in West Azarbaijan, Ardabil, North Khorasan, Zanjan, Kordestan, and Mazandaran), and transferred 54 others (in East Azarbaijan, West Azarbaijan, Ardabil, and Kordestan) to safe places.

The rescuers pulled 739 vehicles out of the snow, and 965 individuals received basic goods in Lorestan, Kerman,  Chaharmahal-Bakhtiari, Kordestan, Zanjan, West Azarbaijan, East Azerbaijan, and Ardabil, the official added.

According to a report by the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) on December 31, 2025, a series of intense and unstable weather systems has caused heavy rainfall, flash floods, river overflows, and widespread waterlogging across large parts of Iran, resulting in significant humanitarian impacts in both urban and rural areas since December 15.

The event has affected 25 provinces nationwide, including East Azerbaijan, Ardabil, Isfahan, Bushehr, Chaharmahal and Bakhtiari, South Khorasan, Khorasan Razavi, North Khorasan, Khuzestan, Zanjan, Semnan, Sistan-Baluchestan, Fars, Qom, Kurdistan, Kerman, Kohgiluyeh and Boyer-Ahmad, Golestan, Lorestan, Mazandaran, Kish Free Zone, Markazi, Hormozgan, Hamedan, and Yazd.

Flooding of residential areas, disruption of transport routes, trapping of vehicles, and localized infrastructure damage have been reported. Tragically, 7 fatalities have been confirmed in the provinces of Fars, Khuzestan, and Hormozgan. To date, the floods have affected 335 operational locations, with 193 branches of the Iranian Red Crescent Society actively involved in the response. In total, 42,112 people have benefited from emergency and humanitarian services provided during the ongoing operation. The event has resulted in 16 injured people transferred to medical facilities and 3 individuals treated on an outpatient basis.

Additionally, four technical rescue cases have been recorded in the provinces of Fars and Hormozgan. The widespread geographical coverage and continued impact of the floods have generated extensive humanitarian needs, particularly related to shelter, evacuation, basic relief assistance, and safety of affected populations.

IRCS is a key humanitarian actor

In November, Hossam Elsharkawi, the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) Regional Director for the Middle East and North Africa (MENA), highlighted the role of the Iranian Red Crescent Society (IRCS) as one of the region’s and the world’s key humanitarian actors.

Lauding the IRCS efforts, Elsharkawi congratulated Pirhossein Kolivand’s re-election as the head of the IRCS, saying that the IRCS decisions are highly effective at international levels, IRNA reported.

The official made the remarks in an online meeting with Kolivand on Thursday. During the meeting, the two officials discussed ways to foster collaborative efforts, develop rescue systems to enhance the country’s preparedness and response capabilities, and conduct international meetings and conferences in Iran.

The IRCS proposed hosting an international Islamic youth conference and the conference of leaders of national societies from Islamic countries.

The two sides also emphasized the need to implement the previously signed memoranda of understanding between the two organizations to lay the ground for promoting educational, operational, and logistic collaborations.

The IRCS also suggested introducing an expert to follow up on managerial and technical cooperation with the Regional Office for MENA.

MT/MG