Iran’s communications blackout limits assessment of war’s humanitarian toll
Aid groups struggle to assess humanitarian toll in Iran as blackout hampers efforts to identify needs.
ANKARA — The humanitarian picture inside Iran remains largely opaque amid the ongoing war, with aid groups saying communications disruptions are limiting assessments.
While early indications suggest significant internal displacement and growing pressure on services, no large-scale cross-border movements have yet been observed, according to aid groups and organizations.
US and Israeli strikes since Saturday have hit several major Iranian cities, including Tehran, a metropolis of nearly 10 million people, as well as other densely populated urban centers, including Isfahan in central Iran, the religious city of Qom south of the capital, and the western province of Kermanshah near the Iraqi border, according to Iranian authorities.
The Iranian Red Crescent Society said hundreds of people have been killed nationwide since the attacks began Saturday, while HRANA, a group that documents human rights violations in Iran through a network of activists and researchers, on Thursday reported the death toll at 1,114, including more than 180 children, with more than 5,400 injured.
