Iran Red Crescent Society head accuses Israel of deliberately targeting rescue workers
INRA, the official news agency of the Islamic Republic of Iran, quoted Kolivand as saying that the attacks on the workers were “fully intentional and not random.”
Pirhossein Kolivand, head of the Iranian Red Crescent Society (IRCS), said that Israel had “deliberately targeted” rescue workers in Iran during the brief 12-day war between the two countries, Islamic Republic-backed media quoted him as saying on Monday.
Kolivand further accused Israel of killing five rescue workers during the war, with Islamic Republic-backed media quoting him as saying that attacking the Red Crescent is against the Geneva Conventions.
INRA, the official news agency of the Islamic Republic of Iran, quoted Kolivand as saying that the attacks on the workers were “fully intentional and not random. Despite the bombings, staff bravely continued caring for their patients without seeking shelter.
“These were not stray missiles. Our uniforms, our vehicles, everything clearly showed we were humanitarian workers. Yet we were attacked while providing aid,” he added.
Kolivand made these statements during a press conference for Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baghaei.
THE AFTERMATH of an Israeli strike on a building in Tehran, June 2025. (credit: WEST ASIA NEWS AGENCY/REUTERS)
Israel was also accused by the IRCS leader of killing 126 women and 41 children during the war, INRA reported. He said that ambulances were deliberately targeted and that thousands of residential homes were destroyed from Israeli bombardments.
Additional accusations and threats by Iranian officials, organizations
In addition to targeting aid workers, Iran had previously accused Israel of environmental war crimes during the 12-day war.
Iran’s Department of Environment (DOE) said that Israeli strikes during the war, which allegedly struck oil depots, refineries, and protected areas, released toxic pollution that can harm biodiversity and human health. They added that the strikes would be detrimental to the country’s air quality, water sources, and natural habitats.
Mehdi Mohammadi, a strategic adviser to the Speaker of Iran’s Parliament, posted on Saturday an Instagram story depicting an image of nuclear fallout across the map of Israel, which in the image is depicted as two large mushroom clouds.
However, the explosions depicted in the image also heavily covered the West Bank.
Alex Winston contributed to this report.
