Medical supplies prepared by the Turkish Health Ministry are set to be loaded onto trucks before departing for Iran in Van, north-eastern Türkiye, on April 8, 2026. (AFP)
The Red Cross and Türkiye’s Red Crescent on April 10 dispatched an emergency humanitarian aid convoy from Türkiye to Iran, as the organization warned of a "desperate" humanitarian situation in the country.
"Humanitarian needs in Iran are extremely high," International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) spokesperson Scott Craig told AFP shortly before the convoy departed from the outskirts of the capital Ankara.
"The humanitarian situation in Iran is desperate," Craig said.
"Needs will change according to how the situation evolves. But the needs will remain critical for a very long time. The health system in the country has been destroyed."
He added that large-scale damage to infrastructure had compounded the crisis, with severe psychological and mental health impacts on the population.
The convoy includes around 200 trauma kits containing emergency medical supplies for bombing casualties.
The Turkish Red Crescent has also sent four trucks carrying 48 tons of aid, including emergency shelters for displaced families, hygiene kits and first-aid supplies.
The vehicles bear the message "Humanitarian aid from the Turkish people to the brotherly people of Iran," an AFP journalist observed at the scene.
Craig said the shipment represents "one of the first international humanitarian aid deliveries into Iran since the conflict began", adding that global supply chain disruptions, especially to maritime routes, have complicated procurement and transport efforts.
"Sending them overland from Türkiye is a really innovative way of being able to move assistance into the country," he said.
