Attacks on hospitals, pharmaceutical companies and medical research institutions in Iran have sparked growing international concern, with the World Health Organisation confirming dozens of incidents and Iranian officials, calling the strikes a "crime against humanity", even as the conflict shows no sign of abating.
Since the US and Israel launched strikes on Iran on February 28, at least 2,076 people have been killed and 26,500 wounded, Iran's Ministry of Foreign Affairs said.
Whereas, the WHO said it had verified more than 20 attacks on healthcare facilities in Iran since March 1, resulting in at least nine deaths, including an infectious diseases worker and a member of the Iranian Red Crescent Society.
Reportedly, the most symbolically charged strike came Thursday, when Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei said the Pasteur Institute of Iran, the oldest and most prestigious public health centre in the Middle East, founded in 1920, had been targeted by what he called "American-Israeli aggressors." The institute produces vaccines against diseases including tetanus, hepatitis B and measles, and has longstanding ties with the WHO.
WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus confirmed that two departments of the Pasteur Institute had been working closely with the organisation, and warned that the conflict is "impacting the delivery of health services and the safety of health workers, patients, and civilians."
Among the facilities hit: Tofigh Daru, one of Iran's largest pharmaceutical companies producing cancer and cardiovascular drugs, was struck on March 31; a psychiatric hospital in Tehran was significantly damaged on March 29; and a Red Crescent relief warehouse in Bushehr province was struck by a drone on Friday, destroying emergency vehicles and relief containers.
Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian, himself a heart surgeon, appealed directly to the WHO, the Red Cross and Doctors Without Borders, asking: "What message does attacking hospitals, pharmaceutical companies and the Pasteur Institute convey?"
Neither the US nor Israel has publicly commented on the specific strikes against medical facilities.
Under international humanitarian law and UN Security Council Resolution 2286, adopted unanimously in 2016, attacks on healthcare facilities are explicitly condemned. Yet globally, such incidents have been rising: the WHO recorded 1,348 attacks on medical facilities across armed conflicts in 2025, killing nearly 2,000 people, a sharp increase from 2024.
Essential Business Intelligence, Continuous LIVE TV, Sharp Market Insights, Practical Personal Finance Advice and Latest Stories — On NDTV Profit.