The International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) has said it plans additional aid deliveries to Iran after a first cross-border shipment of medical supplies from Türkiye reached the country.
Speaking to reporters in Geneva, IFRC spokesperson Tommaso Della Longa said on Tuesday the convoy, which departed Ankara on Friday and entered Iran on Sunday, marked "one of the first cross-border shipments of medical supplies since the start of the conflict".
The shipment, delivered in coordination with the Turkish Red Crescent, included advanced trauma kits designed to provide immediate life-saving care in critical situations.
Della Longa said humanitarian supply routes into Iran have been "severely disrupted", forcing aid groups to adapt by transporting supplies over land from eastern Türkiye.
"Beyond the first shipment, we hope that this will be the start of getting more aid into Iran," he said.
"We have plans for further shipments, so this could prove to be an important aid corridor, since we don't know what will happen next and when more conventional routes will really open."
He described the operation as "a critical first step to support the Iranian Red Crescent's life-saving activities."
The spokesperson added that needs remain high, particularly in health and psychological support, noting that the IFRC has raised its emergency appeal to over $153 million to scale up life-saving assistance for 5 million people affected by the ongoing hostilities, while warning that the appeal remains significantly underfunded.
Last week, the Turkish Red Crescent sent four aid trucks carrying 48 tonnes of humanitarian supplies to Iran following a request from the Iranian Red Crescent.
