TEHRAN – The head of the Iranian Red Crescent Society (IRCS), Pirhossein Kolivand, has praised the aid consignments provided by China’s government to help Iran during the US-Israeli war against the country.

“We did not ask for help from any country, and many countries volunteered to do this work,” he said. "The countries that volunteered for help consider its spiritual value more than its material value, and they say that the spiritual message of this aid is that we are together and we want to have a share in this defense," IRNA quoted Kolivand as saying.

The official made the remarks in a Thursday meeting with Chinese ambassador to Tehran, Cong Peiwu.

Peiwu said that China has delivered 58 tons of emergency medical aid to Iran in cooperation with the Iranian Red Crescent Society.

“The aid aims to support people in need and save lives during a critical time. The shipment includes essential medical supplies for emergency healthcare response to strengthen relief efforts across affected regions amid urgent needs and improve medical support capacity promptly delivered.”

Officials said the assistance reflects humanitarian cooperation between the two countries, and the supplies will be distributed to hospitals and relief teams.

On April 15, Peiwu and Kolivand jointly signed the intergovernmental handover certificate for China’s emergency humanitarian assistance to Iran.

The Chinese ambassador stated that the Chinese people always hold the Iranian people in their thoughts. This provision of emergency humanitarian aid is a vivid practice of China’s commitment to the vision of a Community with a Shared Future for Humanity and its fulfilment of international humanitarian obligations.

Kolivand, for his part, expressed Iran’s sincere gratitude to China for consistently extending a helping hand during difficult times and for providing valuable support on various occasions. He remarked that the profound friendship between the two nations continues to grow stronger over time.

In March, the IRCS thanked China for providing $200,000 in emergency humanitarian assistance to support the families of scores of children and teachers who were killed in a US missile strike on an elementary school in southern Iran.

The US missile attack targeted Shajareh Tayyebeh School in the city of Minab, Hormozgan Province, on the first day of the US-Israeli assault against Iran on February 28. At least 168 people, most of them students aged between 7 and 12, were killed and dozens more injured.

In a meeting with the Chinese ambassador at the Chinese Embassy in Tehran on March 15, Razieh Alishvandi, the head of the Iranian Red Crescent Society for international affairs, hailed Beijing’s humanitarian move.

“Protecting civilians, especially children, teachers, and educational centers, based on the principles of international humanitarian law and the Geneva Conventions, is a fundamental obligation for all parties involved in armed conflicts,” Alishvandi told the Chinese ambassador.

She added: “Targeting civilians and educational facilities, in addition to violating international laws, has irreparable humanitarian and social consequences and challenges fundamental human values.”

Referring to the importance of solidarity among nations in times of crisis, Alishvandi stated: “In such circumstances, the humanitarian action of the Chinese Red Cross Society in supporting the families of the teachers and students who lost their lives in Minab is valuable and commendable.”

She said the Chinese Red Cross Society’s move to allocate $200,000 in financial assistance to support the families of the deceased teachers and students “sends a clear message of sympathy and solidarity from the Chinese nation with the people of Iran and shows that human values can bring nations closer together beyond borders.”

Alishvandi expressed hope that relief and humanitarian cooperation between the Iranian Red Crescent Society and the Chinese Red Cross Society will further expand.

MT/MG