PARIS: The World Health Organisation (WHO) has raised concerns over a series of recent attacks on healthcare facilities in Iran, particularly in the capital, Tehran.
This warning comes after an airstrike caused significant damage to the Pasteur Institute of Iran.
“Multiple attacks on health have been reported in the Iranian capital, Tehran, in recent days amid the escalating conflict in the Middle East,” WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus wrote on X.
According to the WHO, at least 20 healthcare facilities have been targeted, with the Pasteur Institute among those severely impacted and temporarily unable to provide services.
Multiple attacks on health have been reported in the Iranian capital, Tehran, in recent days amid the escalating conflict in the Middle East.
The Pasteur Institute in Iran sustained significant damage and was rendered unable to continue delivering health services.
The Institute… pic.twitter.com/RHILHhy5Yv
— Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus (@DrTedros) April 2, 2026
Images shared by Iranian Health Ministry spokesperson Hossein Kermanpour showed extensive destruction, with parts of the institute reduced to rubble.
However, Iran’s ISNA news agency reported that operations at the institute have not been fully halted, noting that vaccine and serum production continues. Authorities also stated that no staff members were injured in the attacks, which they attributed to the United States and Israel.
Established in 1920, the Pasteur Institute of Iran is one of the country’s oldest public health and research centers. Tedros emphasised its critical role in safeguarding public health, particularly during emergencies.
According to Iran’s Mehr news agency, citing the Iranian Red Crescent, a laser and plasma research facility at Shahid Beheshti University in Tehran was hit on Friday. The university stated that a significant portion of the facility was destroyed, describing the incident as an attack on “reason, research, and freedom of thought.”
Israel has also targeted Imam Hossein University and Malek-Ashtar University, alleging that both institutions were involved in military research activities.
In addition, one of Iran’s largest pharmaceutical companies, Tofigh Daru—known for producing anaesthetics and cancer medications—was struck earlier in the week.
Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus also reported that the Delaram Sina Psychiatric Hospital suffered extensive damage last Sunday.
Under the Geneva Conventions, which were established after World War II, healthcare facilities are designated as protected sites during armed conflict.
US President Donald Trump has threatened to bomb Iran “back to the Stone Ages”, despite international law prohibiting the targeting of civilian infrastructure.
