The International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) has expressed deep sorrow over the deaths of five staff members and volunteers from the Iranian Red Crescent Society (IRCS), who were killed while carrying out their duties during the recent escalation of conflict. The IFRC emphasized that humanitarian workers should never be placed in harm’s way while providing life-saving assistance.

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The IFRC previously announced these deaths on social media but is now able to share further details on the incidents.

On 13 June, Mehdi Zartaji Saray, an IRCS staff rescue team member, was killed while deployed with operational teams to provide emergency aid to the wounded in the East Azerbaijan province.  

On 14 June, Yaser Zivari, a volunteer firefighter and rescuer with IRCS, was wounded while providing humanitarian assistance in Asadabad, Hamedan. He passed away on 22 June.

On 16 June, an IRCS ambulance conducting rescue operations and providing aid to the wounded in the Shahid Bagheri district in northwest Tehran was hit by an airstrike. Two IRCS staff members – Mojtaba Maleki and Amir Hassan Jamshidpour – were killed. 

On 22 June, Seyyed Ali Akbar Mir Mohammadi, an IRCS volunteer, was assisting people in need in the city of Isfahan when he was trapped as a building collapsed in an attack.  

The International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) has extended its deepest condolences to the families and loved ones of the five Iranian Red Crescent Society (IRCS) staff and volunteers recently killed, as well as to all IRCS colleagues mourning their loss.

According to the IFRC, 15 volunteers and staff members from its global network were killed in the first six months of this year while carrying out their humanitarian duties. The organization described these deaths as a tragic reminder of the growing dangers faced by humanitarian workers worldwide.

The IFRC emphasized that humanitarian personnel are protected under international humanitarian law and called for the respect of the Red Cross, Red Crescent, and Red Crystal emblems, which stand for neutrality, impartiality, and humanity.

Reaffirming its position, the IFRC expressed solidarity with the Iranian Red Crescent Society and reiterated its urgent appeal for the protection and respect of all humanitarian staff and volunteers.