TEHRAN – Despite the destruction of scientific centers in Iran by the US-Israeli aggression, the country will turn into a more influential player in the global arena, Health Minister Mohammad-Reza Zafarqandi has said.

The bombardment of scientific centers would not deter the country from making scientific progress, IRNA quoted the official as saying. 

“Attacking scientific centers like the Pasteur Institute of Iran makes our job harder,” Zafarqandi wrote in his X account on Thursday.

“But the missile launchers don’t know: knowledge lives in the minds of our scientists! With this knowledge, we will rise stronger than ever to serve global health,” the official added. 

According to Hossein Kermanpour, the deputy health minister, the United States and the Zionist regime jointly attacked global public health by launching strikes on the Pasteur Institute of Iran.

“Several facilities severely damaged or decimated by the US and Israeli bombardments are not merely national assets, but global heritage,” he wrote on his X account.

“These countries have attacked global public health by targeting institutions such as the Pasteur Institute of Iran – a key member of the Pasteur Network and a WHO Collaborating Centre.

The international community has a collective responsibility to rebuild it; we will rebuild it better than before, provided that the aggressors stop violating international law.”

Founded in 1920, the Pasteur Institute of Iran is a longstanding member of the Pasteur Network. The Institute contributes to national, regional and global public health through its national reference laboratories, WHO Collaborating Centers, disease surveillance and diagnostics, biobanks, and essential medical countermeasures production. The Institute was targeted by the aggressors on April 2. 

Following the attack, Mario Moreira, President of the Pasteur Network, expressed concern over the destruction of the Pasteur Institute of Iran, and warned of the potential regional impacts as it disrupts the major role of this century-old pillar of global health in the prevention and control of existing and rising health threats in the region. 

“The reported damage to the Pasteur Institute of Iran is deeply concerning. This institution plays an important role in supporting the health of populations in Iran and the region. When such capacities are disrupted, diagnostics, surveillance, and response to ongoing and emerging threats may be affected, with potential implications for health security beyond national borders,” Moreira highlighted.

MT/MG