In a post on his X account on Friday, Esmaeil Baqaei described May 8, the World Red Cross and Red Crescent Day, as “an opportunity to pay tribute to people who, under the fire of bombs and missiles, risk their lives to help fellow human beings and save our compatriots.”
Referring to US-Israeli attacks on ambulances and rescue efforts carried out under rubble across Iran, he said, “From targeted ambulances to relief workers who pulled life out from under the debris, the Iranian Red Crescent is not merely a relief institution; it is a narrative of unparalleled sacrifice and courage.”
The spokesman also praised “all relief workers, volunteers, and their patient families,” saying they are the ones “who give meaning to humanity and altruism in the most difficult moments.”
Baqaei stated that during the two wars of aggression imposed by the US and the Zionist regime over the past year, nine members of the Iranian Red Crescent Society and an eight-member family of Red Crescent volunteers were martyred.
He added that “350 medical centers, 993 schools, universities and educational centers, 56 Red Crescent centers, 49 ambulances and rescue vehicles, and three Red Crescent and emergency relief helicopters were directly targeted by the aggressors.”
“During the recent US-Israeli military aggression against our country, a total of 6,003 rescue and relief operations were carried out, during which 7,215 people were pulled alive from under the rubble and 7,000 others were transferred to medical centers,” Baqaei stated.