Hospitals in Iran have been overwhelmed by the scale of casualties inflicted on Iranian people by Iran’s security forces, as protestors have flocked to the streets over recent weeks, demanding an end to the oppressive Islamic Republic regime.¹ While the regime’s deliberate internet blackouts (engineered to mask its own violence, shielding it from global disgrace) has fragmented communication, tens of thousands of civilians including children are reported to have been killed with many more injured.² The extent of the brutality has been described by human rights experts as “the worst mass murder in the contemporary history of Iran.”³

Violence has long since served as a means for the regime to assert its dominance over its citizens, with recent events proving no exception.^4,5 The regime has been characteristically merciless in its search for injured protestors, with several independent accounts indicating that hospitals have been targeted as sites of surveillance, arrest and attack.^1,6,7 Clinicians have been coerced into reporting patients to security forces, withholding care from them or prioritising the treatment of injured members of the security forces over ordinary citizens.^7,8,9 Health workers have also been targeted, imprisoned and, in some cases, executed, for the mere act of providing care.^9,10

Humanitarian laws were established internationally to prevent such atrocities and to ensure doctors can treat all casualties impartially and confidentially, without discrimination or coercion.^9,11 These laws, under the humanitarian principle of medical neutrality also exist to protect healthcare professionals and their service during conflict, along with the protection of healthcare facilities which allow them to provide care, without government interference.^11,12 Yet the Iranian regime continues to ride roughshod over these international laws, disregarding the sanctity of hospitals and putting pressure on medical networks as a means of reducing support for the injured, thereby weaponising access to healthcare itself. In turn, upholding the Hippocratic Oath and associated ethical duties of providing care to the sick and the wounded has come at a high price for doctors in Iran.

The international medical community must urgently condemn these violations against humanity and demand the protection of health workers and healthcare infrastructure in Iran. Our collective voices can be a powerful tool to add weight to the calls for urgent action.

We must also unreservedly support efforts to proscribe the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC, the regime’s main machinery for oppression) as a terrorist organisation, bringing them to the same level as jihadists like al-Qaeda. The European Union took this important step on 29 January 2026, yet other countries, including the United Kingdom have been slow to make this move.¹³ Labelling the IRGC as a terrorist organisation is not a mere symbolic act. Rather it imposes isolation on the regime whilst forcing accountability and, crucially, hinders IRGC networks that may operate across borders.

It is time not only to verbally condemn the regime’s actions, but to actively support the Iranian people’s struggle for freedom. The health community can contribute by platforming Iranian voices through social media platforms and through our medical organisations. We can also demand more from our health institutions in speaking up about these atrocities. Silence is not neutrality, it is complicity. What we choose to amplify contributes to whether these crimes against humanity, crimes against fellow clinicians and crimes against the sanctity of medical care are named, excused or ignored. This is a critical moment for the global health community to demonstrate humanitarian leadership, to speak up against this injustice and the IRGC’s contempt for the sanctity of medical care. The global medical community can use our influence along with our combined intellectual capital to support the Iranian people as they battle for their basic human rights. 

All eyes must be on Iran.

This piece is dedicated to the brave and resilient Iranian citizens doing everything they can to bring down a 47-year history of an oppressive regime, with almost nothing but their bare hands. And to fellow Iranian health workers who have lost their lives for the simple act of providing care.

References

1. Howard S. Iran: Doctors come under attack as hospitals “overwhelmed”. BMJ 2026;392:s70.
2. Amnesty International. What happened at the protests in Iran? Amnesty International Australia. 2026. Available from: https://www.amnesty.org.au/what-happened-at-the-protests-in-iran/
3. Center for Human Rights in Iran. UN Human Rights Council Extends Iran Fact-Finding Mission, Condemns “Deadliest Crackdown against Iranian People Since 1979 Revolution”. 2026. Available from: https://iranhumanrights.org/2026/01/un-human-rights-council-extends-iran-fact-finding-mission-condemns-deadliest-crackdown-against-iranian-people-since-1979-revolution/
4. Anonymous. Iranian healthcare caught in political crossfire: a global call to action. BMJ 2023;382:p1642.
5. Horton R. Offline: Mahsa Amini—never forget. Lancet 2023; 402: 948
6. Amnesty International. Iran: Authorities unleash heavily militarized clampdown to hide protest massacres. Amnesty International. 2026. Available from: https://www.amnesty.org/en/latest/news/2026/01/iran-authorities-unleash-heavily-militarized-clampdown-to-hide-protest-massacres/
7. Alaei A, Alaei K, Abdi H, Azari SA, Kooschi A, Mirzaei S, et al. Violations of medical neutrality during protests in Iran. The Lancet. 2026 https://doi.org/10.1016/ S0140-6736(26)00101-7
8. Poidevin OL, Hafezi P. Iran detaining protesters being treated in hospitals as part of crackdown, says UN expert. Reuters. 2026 Jan 26; Available from: https://www.reuters.com/world/middle-east/iran-detaining-protesters-being-treated-hospitals-part-crackdown-says-un-expert-2026-01-26/
9. World Medical Association. WMA condemns the attack on Ilam hospital and violations of medical neutrality in Iran. 2026. Available from https://www. wma.net/news-post/world-medicalassociation-condemns-the-attack-on-ilamhospital-and-violations-of-medical-neutralityin-iran/
10. Wire IN. Iran’s January Protests: Reports of Doctor Arrests and Execution Concerns [Internet]. Iran News Wire. 2026 [cited 2026 Feb 3]. Available from: https://irannewswire.org/irans-january-protests-doctors-arrested-execution/
11. Baccino-Astrada A. Manual on the rights and duties of medical personnel in armed conflicts. ICRF. 1982
12. UN Security Council. Resolution 2286 Protection of civilians in armed conflict. Available at: https://unscr.com/en /resolutions/2286
13. European Parliament. Statement on the designation of the Iranian regime’s oppressive IRGC as a terrorist organisation. 2026. Available at https://www.europarl.europa.eu/cmsdata/302185/2026.01.29_D-IR_IRGC%20terrorist%20org%20designation-rev.pdf

Author

Dr Rammina Yassaie

Rammina is a medical doctor, medical ethicist and Senior Lecturer in Leadership for Health and Social Care at Sheffield Hallam University. She is deeply proud of her Iranian heritage and cannot wait to visit when, one day, Iran is free.

Declaration of Interests

I have read the competing interest policy and have none to disclose.