The Red Cross said on Tuesday that a shipment of life-saving medical supplies and other aid has crossed the border into Iran, its first delivery since the start of the war.
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The shipment of medical supplies and other aid entered the country on Sunday, the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) said in a statement.
The truck convoy, which set off from the Turkish capital Ankara on Friday, marked “one of the first cross-border shipments of medical supplies” by any organisation since the conflict began with a barrage of Israeli and US strikes on Iran on 28 February, IFRC spokesman Tommaso Della Longa told reporters in Geneva.
He said the IFRC had sent trauma kits, “designed to provide immediate, life-saving care.”
“The operation is critical as humanitarian supply chains into Iran have been severely disrupted in recent weeks due to the conflict, making it increasingly difficult and more costly for essential medical and relief items to reach those in need,” he said.
Della Longa said the IFRC aimed to bring in more trauma kits “in the next three weeks.”
The International Committee of the Red Cross, the other part of the Red Cross movement, meanwhile said it had delivered a first cross-border aid shipment of 171 metric tonnes of essential relief items to Iran on Monday.
It said a total of 14 trucks had been dispatched from its warehouse in Jordan, carrying “vital household items sufficient to meet the needs of nearly 25,090 people,” including blankets, mattresses, jerrycans, kitchen sets, tarpaulins and solar lamps.
In addition, ICRC said 200 generators and 100 motor pumps purchased locally had been donated to the Iranian Red Crescent Society (IRCS) to support relief and rescue operations.
“At a time when humanitarian needs remain high across the country, we hope this shipment will bring some relief to communities enduring the devastating impact of the conflict,” said Vincent Cassard, head of the ICRC delegation in Iran.
“We aim to expand our support in the coming weeks and to continue backing the humanitarian efforts of the IRCS.”
Della Longa highlighted the enormous strain on the Iranian Red Crescent, which he pointed out had “lost four relief workers in the line of duty, while saving lives” since the conflict began. This is unacceptable.”
The war has killed at least 3,000 people in Iran, 2,020 in Lebanon, 23 in Israel and more than a dozen in Gulf Arab states, and caused lasting damage to infrastructure in half a dozen Middle Eastern countries.
Iran’s grip on the Strait of Hormuz has largely cut off the Persian Gulf and its oil and gas exports from the global economy, sending energy prices soaring.
Additional sources • AP, AFP
