The World Health Organization confirmed attacks on 20 health facilities in Iran, including significant damage to Tehran's Pasteur Institute, as regional conflict escalates across the Middle East.
WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus documented the strikes on Iranian health infrastructure, noting the Pasteur Institute sustained damage that rendered it unable to continue delivering health services. The century-old facility, founded in 1920, serves as a critical public health and research center in the Iranian capital.
Multiple attacks on health have been reported in the Iranian capital, Tehran, in recent days amid the escalating conflict in the Middle East
Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, WHO Director-General — X
Iranian Health Ministry spokesman Hossein Kermanpour released images showing extensive damage to the institute, with portions of the building reduced to rubble. Despite the destruction, Iranian state media maintained that vaccine and serum production would continue uninterrupted.
The attacks represent a documented pattern of healthcare targeting across the region. WHO has verified 116 attacks on healthcare facilities in Iran, Iraq, Jordan, Lebanon and Syria since the conflict began.
The Hindu presents the WHO warning as part of broader regional escalation, noting Iranian claims that services continue despite damage. The outlet emphasizes the humanitarian impact through displacement figures and casualty counts.
The New Arab frames the attacks as part of widening targeting beyond military infrastructure to civilian facilities. The outlet emphasizes the systematic nature of healthcare targeting and environmental health risks from weapons.
Channel NewsAsia focuses on the WHO's official response and funding appeal, presenting the healthcare attacks within the context of regional humanitarian needs. The outlet maintains factual reporting without editorial commentary.
The World Health Organization warned Friday about "multiple attacks on health" in Iran following an airstrike on a facility in Tehran, and launched an urgent appeal to aid health systems affected in the wider region. "Multiple attacks on health have been reported in the Iranian capital, Tehran, in recent days amid the escalating conflict ...
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Fortunately, none of the employees of the Pasteur Institute in Iran were harmed in the recent attacks by the United States and the Zionist regime
Iranian state media — Telegram
The organization launched an urgent $30.3 million funding appeal covering March through August to support health systems across the affected region. The appeal targets essential health services, trauma care, disease surveillance systems, and preparedness for potential chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear emergencies.
Regional displacement has reached approximately four million people, with casualty figures exceeding 3,000 deaths and 30,000 injuries. The mass movement of populations has strained healthcare infrastructure already compromised by direct attacks.
WHO officials warned that the escalating crisis sharply increases risks of communicable disease outbreaks. Environmental hazards from burning oil depots, white phosphorous weapons, and other munitions compound health threats, particularly when combined with seasonal rainfall patterns.
The targeting appears to have expanded beyond military and security installations to include civilian infrastructure. Recent strikes have hit educational facilities, with Iran's Mehr news agency reporting attacks on research facilities at Shahid Beheshti University in Tehran.
The Pasteur Institute of Iran operates independently from the original Pasteur Institute in Paris, despite sharing the name. The facility has played a central role in Iran's public health response capabilities for over a century, particularly during health emergencies.