Tajikistan sends 3,610 tonnes of humanitarian aid to Iran

Dushanbe, March 18 (IANS) Tajikistan on Wednesday dispatched 3,610 tonnes of humanitarian aid to Iran in a 110-truck convoy.

"Tajikistan's humanitarian aid comprises 3,610 tonnes of cargo, including 45 tonnes of medicines, a large volume of sanitary and hygiene products, children's clothing, various food products, household items, bedding, tents, building materials, and other necessary supplies," the country's Foreign Ministry stated.

Last week, citing preliminary assessments, UN Refugee Agency UNHCR had highlighted that between 600,000 and one million Iranian households - representing up to 3.2 million people - are now temporarily displaced inside Iran as a result of the ongoing conflict.

"Most of them are reportedly fleeing from Tehran and other major urban areas towards the north of the country and rural areas to seek safety. This figure is likely to continue rising as hostilities persist, marking a worrying escalation in humanitarian needs. Also affected are refugee families hosted in the country, mostly Afghans, who are particularly vulnerable, given their already precarious situation and limited support networks. Families are leaving affected areas amid rising insecurity and limited access to essential services," stated UNHCR Director of Emergency and Programme Support and Cross-Regional Refugee Response Coordinator for the Middle East Emergency.

It had mentioned that in Iran – a long-term host to 1.65 million people forced to flee, mostly from Afghanistan – around 100,000 people left Tehran in the first two days following the US-Israel attacks.

Earlier, Iran's UN ambassador Amir Saeid Iravani had claimed that at least 1,332 Iranian civilians, including women and children, have been killed in US-Israeli airstrikes and thousands more injured.

Over 180 children across the country have been killed and more than 20 schools have been damaged, Iravani told reporters at the UN headquarters in New York, earlier this month.

--IANS

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