UN Appeals for $80 Million to Address Urgent Humanitarian Needs of 2 Million Refugees in Iran Amid West Asia Conflict

Kathmandu. The United Nations announced on Friday that it has appealed for $80 million to address the immediate humanitarian needs of approximately 2 million refugees and their host communities in Iran, as conflict escalates across West Asia.

According to Tehran, Iran hosts the world's largest number of refugees and has a significant immigrant population, including 4.5 million Afghans and thousands of Iraqis, the UN stated.

Babbar Baloch, spokesperson for the UN refugee agency UNHCR, said, 'With the recent escalation of conflict, refugees, other Afghans, and host communities in Iran are struggling with their safety, loss of employment, psychological distress, and the need for immediate shelter.'

UNHCR and its humanitarian partners have developed a Rapid Refugee Response Plan appealing for $80 million immediately to meet urgent humanitarian needs from March to May.

Baloch told a press conference, 'This will cover 1.8 million Afghan refugees and non-refugees in other situations living in Iran, as well as 1 million from their host communities who are also affected. In Iran, most Afghan refugees live alongside urban communities and everyone is affected,' he said. UNHCR is receiving 'thousands of desperate appeals every day' from Afghans seeking assistance.

The Middle East conflict began after Washington and Israel attacked Iran on February 28. The UN's International Organization for Migration has reported no unusual outflow of people from Iran.

Meanwhile, the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) stated that a month of war has disrupted the lives of millions, threatening to 'overwhelm humanitarian efforts' in the Middle East and beyond.

'Essential infrastructure for the supply of energy, water, and health services has been damaged or destroyed. The use of heavy explosive weapons, which has a widespread impact in urban areas, has caused pain and fear,' the ICRC said in a statement.