Tehran, IRNA – President of the Iranian Red Crescent ?Society (IRCS) Pir-Hossein Kolivand said Iran has been hosting Afghan refugees for many years, and there are now five million Afghan refugees living in Iran, adding that all immigrants, even illegal ones, were vaccinated against the COVID-19 virus.
Speaking to IRNA, Kolivand said that despite being sanctioned, Iranian Red Crescent Society has been loyal to its humanitarian commitments, adding that the organization has repeatedly informed the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) of this issue.
Sanctions have caused problems for Iran in providing humanitarian services, he said, referring to restrictions for purchasing medicine and medical equipment from other countries because the IRCS’s bank accounts have been blocked.
Touching upon IRCS’s assistance during Russia-Ukraine war, Kolivand said that Iran was one of the first countries that expressed its readiness to provide assistance to Ukraine and Russia.
Source: Islamic Republic News Agency – IRNA
