Iran, MENA | Complex Emergency – Emergency Appeal Operational Strategy (MDRIR018)

Country: Iran (Islamic Republic of) Source: International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies DESCRIPTION OF THE EVENT Since 28 February 2026, military strikes have impacted strategic sites across Iran, escalating to widespread attacks across more than 130 cities and counties by early March. Between 28 February and 7 March, attacks were reported across more than 30 provinces, resulting in more than 1, 300 deaths and several thousand injuries. The geographic scope spans nationwide coverage, indicating a national-scale emergency. Significant damage to physical infrastructure has been reported, affecting 105 critical facilities, with particular impact on 14 health facilities, schools, and essential services, including water supply in 30 villages. A freshwater desalination plant on Qeshm Island in southern Iran was also reportedly attacked. Seven Iranian Red Crescent Society (IRCS) bases and branches were damaged, reducing humanitarian response capacity. System disruptions have been severe: electricity outages have undermined healthcare continuity, while airspace closures have constrained supply chains and personnel mobility. The escalation has resulted in large-scale population displacement, with estimates ranging between 600, 000 and one million households (approximately 1. 9 to 3. 2 million people) displaced across affected areas, according to Government of Iran figures reported by UNHCR (Middle East Situation Report, 16 March 2026). Overall, approximately 60 million people are estimated to be directly affected by the crisis. The escalation has disrupted essential systems including health, education, water and sanitation, and food supply nationwide. The Government of Iran has activated national crisis management mechanisms, working through civil defence structures and in coordination with the IRCS, which is leading frontline humanitarian response efforts. Iran entered the February 2026 escalation with significant pre-existing socioeconomic and environmental stresses, including long-standing economic fragility, sanctions‐related financial restrictions, high inflation, and limited access to essential goods and services, all of which had already eroded household coping capacities. The country also faced chronic water scarcity with persistent underproduction in agricultural output, infrastructural fragility, and pressure to the health system, with hospitals and emergency services operating under strain due to financial restrictions limiting imports of essential medicines and medical equipment even prior to the strikes. These vulnerabilities heightened the population’s exposure to the unfolding crisis. The escalation rapidly expanded across more than 30 provinces, impacting densely populated urban centres such as Tehran, Isfahan, Kermanshah, and Hormozgan, where strikes destroyed residential buildings, schools, health facilities, warehouses, ambulance bases, and critical infrastructure, causing widespread system disruption. Damage to water, electricity, and sanitation systems further exacerbated health risks, while toxic smoke and acidic rainfall from strikes on oil depots created acute environmental health hazards. Population movements intensified, with internal displacement reported from major cities and growing anxiety among already vulnerable groups, including women, children, older persons, persons with disabilities and the 3. 5 million refugees hosted in Iran.

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