The United Nations estimated that over 3 million Iranians have been displaced due to the war with Israel and the United States, a number set to rise as the bombing campaign continues.
The office of the U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees cited preliminary estimates holding that between 600,000 and 1 million Iranian households are temporarily displaced within the country, which translates to a ceiling of 3.2 million people. Most refugees are from Tehran and other major urban centers who have fled to safety in rural areas.
“This figure is likely to continue rising as hostilities persist, marking a worrying escalation in humanitarian needs,” the office stated.
The conflict is taking a major toll on Afghan refugees displaced in the country, as the blow to the system has also disrupted already fragile support networks.
Many of the up to 3.2 million Iranians who have been displaced likely fled in preparation for a further deterioration of the situation. Strikes have recently extended from military and political targets to some critical infrastructure, such as the country’s energy industry and banks used to process payments for the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps. The Iranian government claimed that a strike on a data center for the government-owned Sepah Bank killed several civilian workers.
The U.S. military recently warned civilians to stay away from port facilities used by the Guard, which, given its deep economic entrenchment, could be interpreted as nearly all port facilities.
The war has come to engulf nearly the entire Middle East, with Iranian strikes on the Gulf countries and Israel in retaliation. Lebanon has been the worst affected outside of Iran after Hezbollah entered the fray, triggering a concentrated Israeli campaign. The UNHCR estimated that roughly 700,000 Lebanese have been displaced, including much of Beirut’s Shiite population.
HOW MUCH HAS THE WAR WITH IRAN COST THE US?
Though the U.S. and Israel have destroyed much of Iran’s capabilities, including most of its conventional navy, ballistic missile forces, and air force, Tehran has shown few signs of preparing to throw in the towel.
Operation Epic Fury and Operation Roaring Lion, as the Israeli half of the air campaign is called, amounts to the most intense air campaign worldwide since the 1991 Gulf War, far surpassing the intensity of every major air campaign since. The U.S. said that it has struck over 5,500 targets throughout Iran so far, with Israel likely hitting a similar number.
