The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) reported on Monday that UN agencies and their partners, including the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies and non-governmental organizations (NGOs), are continuing to support the government-led response in Iran as humanitarian needs rise sharply. The recent US-Israeli military assault has resulted in tens of thousands of casualties, and caused severe damage to civilian infrastructure across the country.
On February 28, Israel and the United States initiated a war on Iran, sparking a wider regional conflict. Following 40 days of hostilities, the announcement of a two-week ceasefire on April 7 briefly raised hopes of de-escalation. However, talks held on Saturday between the United States and Iran ended without agreement, increasing uncertainty and tensions.
UN Secretary-General AntĂłnio Guterres has called for continued dialogue, stressing that there is no military solution to the conflict. According to his spokesperson, Guterres said that, although no agreement had been reached, the discussions in Islamabad had been a "positive and meaningful step" and should continue.
“Given the deeply rooted differences, an agreement cannot be reached overnight, and the Secretary-General calls on the talks to continue constructively in order for an agreement to be reached,” said UN spokesperson Stéphane Dujarric in New York on Monday.
The Secretary-General also urged all parties to the conflict to fully respect the ceasefire and stop violating it, while expressing his appreciation for the mediation efforts of Pakistan, as well as those of Saudi Arabia, Egypt and Turkey.
Aid agencies continue their response
What initially appeared to be a limited escalation has evolved into a complex emergency nationwide, putting pressure on emergency response systems, humanitarian access, and health services. Despite the ceasefire agreement, humanitarian conditions in Iran remain fragile, and significant needs persist across affected communities.
The crisis has resulted in extensive damage to civilian infrastructure. As of April 2, more than 158,000 civilian structures have reportedly been damaged nationwide, including over 135,000 residential and commercial buildings. The impacts have been particularly severe in Tehran province.
Additionally, 316 healthcare facilities, 763 schools, and 18 Red Crescent centers have been damaged, signaling widespread disruption to shelter, health, and education services in densely populated urban areas.
Meanwhile, UN agencies, the IFRC, the Iranian Red Crescent Society (IRCS), along with national authorities, continue to respond. The World Health Organization (WHO) released $800,000 in emergency funding to support Iran’s health response as the health system continues to face significant strain following weeks of hostilities.
The funding, announced on Friday, will support essential health services, restore damaged facilities, and ensure the delivery of life-saving care over the coming months. Although the Iranian health system remains operational, it is under increasing strain.
WHO said that despite the ceasefire, the needs remain extremely high, with thousands killed and tens of thousands injured since late February, alongside widespread damage to hospitals, clinics, and emergency services. The funding will also strengthen mental health support for health workers and boost emergency response capacity as concerns remain over access to care and the resilience of the health system.
According to Iranian officials, at least 3,375 people have been killed and over 32,000 injured in attacks by the US and Israel since February 28. These attacks have disrupted essential services, including electricity, water, energy, and transportation, across large parts of the country. Over 3.2 million people have been internally displaced.
Meanwhile, the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) has been working with its partners to support children and families, which includes increasing psychosocial support. As needs grow, UNICEF is also helping to restore access to essential health services.
In coordination with the Ministry of Health, UNICEF has deployed two mobile health units, eight primary healthcare tents, and more than 80 emergency primary healthcare kits. Tents and emergency kits are also being delivered to help reach more than 225,000 people.
The war has had a particularly severe impact on vulnerable groups, including at least five million Afghans living in the country. The UN World Food Programme (WFP) has provided food and cash assistance to tens of thousands of refugees.
The UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) has provided counseling, legal aid, cash assistance, and psychosocial support to tens of thousands of Afghan refugees. The International Organization for Migration (IOM) continues to deliver protection and direct cash assistance to stranded migrants.
On Friday, the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) shared that it is delivering lifesaving medical supplies and humanitarian relief items from Turkey to Iran in coordination with the Turkish Red Crescent.
On Friday, a convoy departed Ankara, scheduled to travel through eastern Turkey and into Iran over the weekend. The shipment included trauma kits designed to provide immediate, life-saving care in critical situations, as well as additional humanitarian supplies, such as tents, blankets, and hygiene items, provided by the Turkish Red Crescent.
According to the IFRC, this operation is crucial because humanitarian supply chains into Iran have been severely disrupted in recent weeks due to the conflict. This has made it increasingly difficult and costly to deliver essential medical and relief items to those in need. Consequently, the supplies are being transported overland.
Humanitarian leaders: End impunity for violations of rules of war
Over the weekend, the world’s humanitarian leaders expressed alarm over sustained violations of the rules of war and international humanitarian law, particularly in the Middle East.
In a statement on Saturday, the principals of the Inter-Agency Standing Committee (IASC)—which brings together UN agencies and humanitarian NGOs—noted that thousands of civilians have been killed and hundreds of thousands displaced, many of them multiple times.
“The numbers continue to rise and essential services are increasingly difficult to access. Health workers, hospitals and ambulances have been targeted,” the statement said.
“Schools have been struck. Civilian infrastructure – including bridges, residential buildings, houses, water facilities and power plants – has been destroyed.”
The IASC statement expressed special concern for women, children, and others with specific needs and strongly condemned all attacks on civilians, including humanitarian and health workers, as well as civilian objects.
“We demand that all parties – whether Member States of the United Nations or armed groups – respect their legal obligation to protect civilians, including humanitarian personnel, and civilian infrastructure. All violations must be met with accountability,” the statement said.
“Even wars have rules, and these rules must be respected.”
The laws of war are clear. Attacks that target civilians, civilian objects, or infrastructure essential to the civilian population constitute grave violations of international humanitarian law and are considered war crimes.
Lebanon: Intense hostilities continue
Meanwhile, intense conflict continues in Lebanon, where the need for humanitarian assistance is deepening and civilians are bearing the brunt of the ongoing violence. Israeli military activity remains particularly intense in southern Lebanon and the western Bekaa Valley, and civilian casualties continue to rise.
On April 8, a large wave of airstrikes marked one of the deadliest days of the conflict, with hundreds reportedly killed within hours. These strikes occurred just hours after the ceasefire announcement between the United States and Iran.
The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) has voiced outrage over the devastating death and destruction in densely populated areas of Lebanon following Israeli military operations.
Directing attacks against civilians or civilian objects, such as hospitals, schools, or places of worship, constitute war crimes.
As of Sunday, more than 2,000 people had been killed and over 6,500 injured across Lebanon, according to the Lebanese government. Over 1.2 million people have been displaced due to Israeli attacks, with more than 1 million displaced internally and approximately 200,000 seeking refuge in neighboring Syria.
Civilian infrastructure has sustained significant damage, including at least 18 incidents affecting water systems, such as reservoirs, pumping stations, and supply lines. These incidents have disrupted access to safe water.
The health system is under extreme strain. Abdinasir Abubaka, the WHO Representative in Lebanon, has warned that some hospitals may run out of trauma supplies within days due to the surge in casualties.
Despite severe access constraints, humanitarian agencies continue to deliver aid. Since early March, UNICEF and WFP have provided life-saving support to over 100,000 people in hard-to-reach areas.
The United Nations is calling for an immediate de-escalation of hostilities, protection of civilians including healthcare and humanitarian workers, sustained and unimpeded humanitarian access, and urgent funding to reach everyone in needs of aid.
The UN has also urged Israel and Lebanon to intensify diplomatic efforts ahead of expected talks in Washington on Tuesday.
"We encourage both Lebanon and Israel to leverage all available diplomatic avenues to immediately end hostilities," said UN spokesperson Dujarric on Monday.