U.S. and Israel Launch Airstrikes on Iranian Pharmaceutical Companies

Iran – World Health Organization (WHO) Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus condemned on Friday "multiple attacks" against Iranian medical institutions since the outbreak of war, specifically highlighting that the Pasteur Institute is currently "unable" to function normally. The Iranian Ministry of Health announced on Thursday that the strikes caused severe damage to this key medical institution located in Tehran, calling it a "direct attack on international public health security."

In a post on the social media platform X, WHO Director-General Tedros stated: "Amid escalating tensions in the Middle East, multiple attacks on healthcare facilities have occurred recently in the capital of Iran."

He expressed regret that the Iranian Pasteur Institute, a member of the international Pasteur network, has no direct connection with its namesake institute in Paris, and "is now unable to continue its medical activities." The WHO chief noted that the center was established in 1920 and has been engaged in numerous medical research fields "for over a century," playing a "crucial role in protecting and promoting public health, especially during emergencies."

According to the Iranian Students News Agency (ISNA), despite the damage, vaccine and serum production continues. The agency stated on its Telegram channel that "no staff members were injured."

Iranian authorities reported that on Tuesday, the United States and Israel separately launched airstrikes on one of Iran's largest pharmaceutical companies, which produces anticancer drugs and anesthetics.

The WHO Director-General also confirmed that Delaram Sina Psychiatric Hospital suffered serious damage in an airstrike on Sunday. According to IRNA, Iran’s Red Crescent reported that the Laser and Plasma Research Center at Shahid Beheshti University in Tehran was also targeted. The organization stated on Friday that attacks on medical facilities protected under the Geneva Conventions constitute a "red line" under international law and amount to "war crimes."

According to the latest data, the conflict initiated by Israeli and U.S. airstrikes on February 28 has resulted in damage to 307 medical, health, and emergency response facilities. On Wednesday, U.S. President Donald Trump threatened to intensify military operations, vowing to "take Iran back to the Stone Age."

Source: rfi

Original: toutiao.com/article/1861495207813124/

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