TEHRAN – As Iran grapples with the humanitarian consequences of the recent US-Israeli aggression, the Iranian Red Crescent Society (IRCS) has found itself operating on multiple fronts simultaneously: rescuing civilians under fire, documenting violations of humanitarian law, coordinating global aid, and providing evidence of the war’s death toll to international institutions.

In an exclusive interview with the Tehran Times, Razieh Alishvandi, the IRCS deputy director for international and humanitarian law affairs, elaborated on how the Society acted during and after the conflict, describing what she called one of the most extensive humanitarian diplomacy efforts undertaken in recent years.

According to Alishvandi, the IRCS transformed the crisis into three parallel missions: emergency response, humanitarian diplomacy, and international legal documentation.

Humanitarian diplomacy becomes a frontline mission

Alongside rescue operations and relief efforts, humanitarian diplomacy became a central pillar of the IRCS’s wartime strategy.

“The Iranian Red Crescent Society has always relied on humanitarian diplomacy and its broad network of international partners,” Alishvandi said. “During the recent war, this capacity was strengthened significantly and enabled us to communicate realities on the ground to the international community.”

Throughout the conflict, the IRCS maintained daily communication with the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) and the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), sharing reports, photographs, videos, and field assessments documenting the humanitarian consequences of the war.

Every image, video, and field report gathered by the organization was transmitted through the communication channels of the international humanitarian movement, allowing information from affected areas in Iran to reach nearly 190 national Red Cross and Red Crescent societies around the world.

The goal, she said, was not only to inform the international community but also to strengthen humanitarian advocacy and ensure that the human cost of the conflict was not overlooked.
Both the IFRC and the ICRC responded by mobilizing humanitarian assistance.

The IFRC issued an emergency appeal among member societies and coordinated support for affected communities, while the ICRC supplied crisis-response equipment, including power generators, water pumps, hygiene kits, and specialized equipment designed for chemical, biological, radiological, and nuclear (CBRN) emergencies.

“The first shipment has already arrived, and additional consignments are expected in subsequent stages,” Alishvandi said.

International support arrives with no formal appeal

One of the notable aspects of the humanitarian response was that assistance arrived without Iran issuing any formal international appeal.

Approximately 20 countries and international organizations contributed humanitarian support to civilians affected by the war.

She noted that Iranian diplomatic missions abroad received numerous offers of assistance from expatriate Iranians, volunteers, charitable organizations, and humanitarian activists seeking ways to help those impacted by the conflict.

To ensure aid was targeted effectively, the IRCS worked closely with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to identify urgent needs, including medicines for patients suffering from chronic and special diseases, medical equipment, search-and-rescue tools, and debris-removal machinery.

Among countries that played a particularly significant role, Iraq stood out.

Substantial assistance was provided through the Holy Shrine of Imam Hussein (AS) and the Holy Shrine of Abbas (AS), while recommendations issued by Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani encouraged broader public participation in humanitarian assistance efforts.

Russia supplied 313 tons of pharmaceutical items to Iran. India delivered medical and pharmaceutical aid in several stages through official government channels. Türkiye contributed pharmaceutical products and medical consumables through its Ministry of Health, while charitable organizations such as the IHH Humanitarian Relief Foundation and other humanitarian groups operating in different countries also provided assistance.

“Although Iran made no official request for assistance, governments, humanitarian institutions, and ordinary citizens from many countries stood alongside the Iranian people during difficult days,” Alishvandi said.

Building a legal record of the war

While emergency teams were operating across affected areas, another effort was unfolding behind the scenes: the systematic documentation of what Iranian officials describe as violations of international humanitarian law.

According to Alishavandi, the IRCS established a comprehensive mechanism for collecting evidence related to attacks on civilian areas, hospitals, health centers, relief facilities, energy infrastructure, and other non-military targets.

The organization compiled photographs, videos, witness accounts, field assessments, and other documentation and transmitted them daily to 17 international humanitarian and legal institutions.

At the same time, Iran’s National Committee on International Humanitarian Law, chaired by Dr. Pirhossein Kolivand, President of the Iranian Red Crescent Society, intensified its activities.

The committee, whose membership includes representatives from five ministries and which operates under a government mandate, issued 11 formal statements during the conflict and pursued follow-up actions through international channels.

One of the most significant components of the documentation campaign involved submissions to the International Criminal Court.

In total, 35 formal communications containing field evidence and documentation were sent to the Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court during the war.

The same materials were also transmitted to the United Nations Security Council, the Human Rights Council, and other international legal and humanitarian institutions.

“We have tried to ensure that these documents can serve as evidence for future legal and humanitarian reviews,” she said.

The effort appears to have attracted international attention.

Alishvandi revealed that officials from one UN body recently informed Iranian representatives that the reports and documentation submitted by the IRCS had played an important role in their assessments and analyses and had been used in expert reviews.

International delegations visit Iran

The documentation campaign and humanitarian situation prompted several international visits to Iran.

According to Alishvandi, four international delegations traveled to the country to assess conditions on the ground.

Among them was Mirjana Spoljaric, President of the International Committee of the Red Cross, who personally visited damaged residential areas, Gandhi Hospital, and other civilian sites affected during the conflict.

A high-level delegation from the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies also toured affected regions and observed the scale of the Iranian Red Crescent Society’s operations firsthand.

The visitors reviewed various aspects of IRCS activities, including emergency response, healthcare services, rehabilitation programs, logistics operations, and humanitarian support mechanisms.

The delegations also visited the IRCS facilities, including the organization’s medical equipment company and the vessel Tosca, which has been used to transport humanitarian and pharmaceutical cargo.
“These visits provided an opportunity for international organizations to directly observe the humanitarian consequences of the war,” Alishvandi said.

A field assessment team from the ICRC has also begun confidential visits to affected civilian areas in coordination with Iranian authorities, while the Norwegian Refugee Council recently conducted its own assessment mission.

Geneva meetings put IRCS in the spotlight

The international attention generated by the Iranian Red Crescent’s wartime response culminated in a formal invitation to Geneva.

Alishvandi traveled to Switzerland along with Kolivand,  and the chairman of Iran’s National Committee on International Humanitarian Law, at the invitation of senior IFRC officials.

The meetings brought together representatives of Red Cross and Red Crescent societies from Europe and North America, including delegates from Germany, Norway, Britain, Spain, and several other countries.

According to Alishvandi, the discussions focused both on the humanitarian consequences of the war and on the operational capabilities demonstrated by the Iranian Red Crescent Society during the conflict.

The Iranian delegation presented documentation collected during the war, including photographs, videos, and physical evidence recovered from affected areas.

Among the most emotionally powerful exhibits were blood-stained schoolbags recovered from the rubble of the Shajareh Tayyebeh Elementary School in Minab, photographs of Red Crescent aid workers killed during relief missions, and videos showing children being rescued from collapsed buildings.

“When some of these videos were shown, many participants were deeply affected, and the atmosphere became entirely emotional,” Alishvandi recalled.

Representatives from several national societies, including the American Red Cross, expressed sympathy for civilian victims and praised the performance of Iranian relief teams.

According to Alishvandi, IFRC officials repeatedly described the Iranian Red Crescent Society’s wartime performance as “exemplary” and highlighted the organization’s operational capacity as one of the most impressive within the international movement.

Particularly striking for international observers was the speed of the IRCS response.

In many incidents, Alishvandi said, the IRCS rescue teams reached affected locations in less than four minutes after attacks were reported.

Expanding international cooperation

The Geneva meetings also produced practical outcomes beyond humanitarian advocacy.

One area of discussion focused on rehabilitation services and access to advanced rehabilitation technologies.

According to Alishvandi, preliminary agreements envision expanded cooperation involving the German Red Cross, the Iranian Red Crescent Society, and the IRCS medical equipment sector.

The objective is to improve access to advanced rehabilitation technologies and equipment, some of which had previously been available only through the ICRC because of sanctions-related restrictions.

Another important development involved humanitarian financial mechanisms.

The IFRC has expressed support in principle for establishing a specialized financial channel that would facilitate transfers related to humanitarian activities and reduce obstacles affecting aid operations.

Four martyrs of humanitarian service

The conflict exacted a heavy toll on humanitarian workers as well.

Four IRCS aid workers — Hamidreza Jahanbakhsh, Somayeh Mir Abou Eshaq, Alireza Sohbatlou, and Abolfazl Dehnavi — were killed while carrying out relief missions.

According to Alishvandi, their deaths were recorded by the IFRC and recognized within the international humanitarian community.

Photographs of the four aid workers were displayed at the entrance of the federation’s headquarters in Geneva alongside images of humanitarian workers killed in Gaza.

“This demonstrates the attention of the international humanitarian community to the sacrifice of relief workers who lost their lives while serving civilians,” she said.

Scale of civilian and infrastructure damage

The IRCS has also compiled what Alishvandi described as one of the most comprehensive assessments of war-related damage conducted in Iran.

According to the organization’s figures, 149,528 civilian units sustained damage during the conflict. These included 123,647 residential units and 24,050 commercial units.

The healthcare sector suffered significant losses as well, with damage reported to 350 facilities, including hospitals, health centers, emergency facilities, and pharmacies.

In the education sector, 993 schools and educational centers were affected, along with 32 universities and seven research institutions.

The Iranian Red Crescent Society itself reported damage to 56 facilities, including branches, relief bases, and humanitarian warehouses.

Critical infrastructure was also affected, including 15 airports, five fuel depots, and 15 electricity and energy installations.

The organization further documented damage to 49 emergency response vehicles, including 43 ambulances, three operational vehicles, and three rescue helicopters that were completely destroyed.

Sanctions, humanitarian access, and future challenges

Beyond the immediate destruction, Alishvandi warned that sanctions and transportation disruptions continue to affect humanitarian operations.

She said restrictions have complicated the delivery of raw materials needed for the production of medical equipment and supplies, including products used by dialysis patients and other vulnerable groups.

Particular challenges emerged in connection with the vessel Tosca, which was transporting humanitarian and medical cargo.

Although alternative routes through neighboring countries were established, Alishvandi argued that humanitarian and medical activities should remain insulated from political disputes and sanctions.

The issue was repeatedly raised during meetings with humanitarian organizations and international agencies in Geneva.

She also expressed concern about broader risks to food and medicine supply chains, noting that disruptions to air transport during the conflict demonstrated how quickly access to essential medicines could become vulnerable.

Giving a voice to victims

As the IRCS continues documenting the consequences of the conflict, it is also preparing to make parts of its wartime archive publicly available. Legal experts and communications specialists are currently organizing documents, photographs, and videos for publication.

Planned initiatives include an international photography exhibition featuring images of Iranian child victims of the war alongside photographs of children killed in Gaza. The exhibition is expected to be held in cooperation with the National Museum of the Islamic Revolution and Sacred Defense and the Palestine Committee.

According to Alishvandi, cultural initiatives can complement humanitarian and legal efforts by helping international audiences better understand the human dimensions of war.

Ultimately, however, she said the organization’s mission extends beyond emergency response, diplomacy, or documentation.

“Our responsibility is not limited to providing relief assistance,” she said. “We must also ensure that the voices of victims are heard and that humanitarian concerns are brought before international institutions.”

“Our primary goal has been to serve as the voice of women, children, and innocent civilians whose lives have been affected by war.”