UNHCR: Over 3M displaced inside Iran by war

Shafaq News- Geneva

Up to 3.2 million people have been displaced inside Iran since the war began on February 28, the United Nations refugee agency (UNHCR) reported on Thursday, warning that the humanitarian situation is worsening as hostilities continue.

According to UNHCR, preliminary assessments show that between 600,000 and one million Iranian households have been temporarily displaced. Many families are reportedly leaving Tehran and other major urban centers, heading toward northern provinces and rural areas. The agency warned that the number of displaced people is likely to rise further if fighting persists.

The conflict has also affected refugee communities hosted in Iran, particularly Afghans, whom UNHCR described as especially vulnerable due to limited support networks and already fragile living conditions.

UNHCR urged all parties to protect civilians, ensure humanitarian access, and keep borders open to those seeking safety, stressing that such measures are required under international law.

The war began when the US and Israel launched “major combat operations” against Iran, and casualty estimates have since varied widely. The Human Rights Activists News Agency (HRANA) reported that more than 1,262 civilians, including at least 200 children, were killed along with 190 military personnel, while 335 victims remain unclassified as civilian or military. The Hengaw Organization for Human Rights placed the toll far higher, saying at least 4,300 people were killed during the first ten days of the conflict. Iran’s Health Ministry said more than 15,000 people have been injured, while the death toll has exceeded 1,300, most of them civilians.