Tehran, March 8: The humanitarian crisis in Iran has deepened as ongoing hostilities cause mounting casualties and mass displacement across the country. More than a week into the conflict, official figures cited by Al Jazeera put the death toll at over 1,300 people, while around 100,000 residents have been forced from their homes in search of safety.
The large-scale displacement has strained relief efforts, with the UN refugee agency reporting a surge in urgent calls for assistance to meet the growing needs of affected populations.
Amid the worsening humanitarian situation, the Israel Defence Forces (IDF) announced that the Israeli Air Force (IAF) carried out targeted strikes on multiple Iranian military assets in Tehran. In a post on X, the IDF said it struck several fuel storage complexes belonging to the IRGC, calling the targets hubs for distributing fuel to various armed units. The military said the operation, guided by IDF intelligence, “significantly deepens the damage to the military infrastructure of the Iranian terrorist regime,” and circulated an illustrative graphic identifying a Tehran fuel facility used by Iran’s military forces.
In the United States, former President Donald Trump claimed the US had eliminated Iran’s entire leadership, calling the actions the removal of a major “cancer.” When asked whether the US was responsible for the bombing of an elementary girls’ school in Iran, Trump denied US responsibility and instead blamed Iran, saying Iranian munitions are “very inaccurate.” Speaking aboard Air Force One en route to Miami, he said, “We’re winning the war by a lot. We’ve decimated their whole evil empire,” and listed what he described as extensive damage to Iran’s navy, air force, missile inventories, drone capacity, and leadership.
Despite the campaign’s aggressive tone, US Special Envoy Steve Witkoff, also on Air Force One, said a diplomatic deal with Iran remains possible, though he suggested Tehran would need a change in attitude after early negotiations were unproductive.
The escalation has prompted international concern. UK Member of Parliament Tom Tugendhat warned about wider regional instability affecting the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Kuwait and Qatar, and noted the large expatriate populations at risk, including millions of Indians and hundreds of thousands of other citizens. He also cited global economic concerns, particularly energy prices, and urged a swift resolution for the benefit of families worldwide.
These developments follow a joint US-Israel strike on February 28 on Iranian territory that killed Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and other senior figures, provoking a fierce response from Tehran. Iran retaliated by launching ballistic missiles and drones at US assets and regional allies, including Israel, Bahrain, Kuwait, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Jordan, widening the conflict across West Asia and raising risks for civilians and expatriates.
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