Iran Counts its Human, Material Losses in 5 Weeks of War

A worker moves a pallet of medical cardboard boxes as Turkish Health Ministry plans to send medical supplies in Iran in Van, north-eastern Türkiye, on April 8, 2026. (AFP) 
A worker moves a pallet of medical cardboard boxes as Turkish Health Ministry plans to send medical supplies in Iran in Van, north-eastern Türkiye, on April 8, 2026. (AFP) 
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Iran Counts its Human, Material Losses in 5 Weeks of War

A worker moves a pallet of medical cardboard boxes as Turkish Health Ministry plans to send medical supplies in Iran in Van, north-eastern Türkiye, on April 8, 2026. (AFP) 
A worker moves a pallet of medical cardboard boxes as Turkish Health Ministry plans to send medical supplies in Iran in Van, north-eastern Türkiye, on April 8, 2026. (AFP) 

More than 125,000 civilian facilities have been damaged or destroyed in the US-Israeli attacks across Iran, the head of the Iranian Red Crescent Society (IRCS) said on Friday.

Pir-Hossein Kolivand told Iranian state television that around 100,000 homes and at least 23,500 shops were hit during the five-week conflict.

A two-week ceasefire is currently in force, although there are fears the truce could break down over Israel's ongoing attacks in Lebanon.

In addition to residential and commercial areas, numerous other civilian facilities were also hit during the conflict, Kolivand said.

Around 339 medical facilities such as hospitals, pharmacies, emergency centers and laboratories were damaged in the airstrikes, he said.

Furthermore, 32 universities were hit while 857 buildings belonging to schools and other educational institutions were specifically targeted, Kolivand stated.

Thousands of people have been killed across the Middle East in the Iran war, which began when the US and Israel struck Iran on February 28.

Those strikes triggered Iranian attacks on Israel, US bases in the Gulf states, while opening a new front in Lebanon.

More than 3,000 people were killed throughout Iran during the war, Iran's forensic chief ‌told state media on Thursday.

US-based rights group HRANA said 3,636 people have been killed since the war erupted. It said 1,701 of those were civilians, including at least 254 children.

The group said it will stop publishing daily reports on attacks and casualties amid the “change in the situation on the ground and the uncertainty surrounding whether the ceasefire will hold or collapse.”

The Iranian military said at least 104 people were killed in a US attack on an Iranian warship off Sri Lanka on March 4.

In return, missiles launched from Iran and Lebanon have killed 23 people in Israel, according to Israel's ambulance service. The Israeli army said 12 of ‌its soldiers have also been killed in southern Lebanon.

Separately, Israeli forces misfired and killed an Israeli farmer near the border with Lebanon on March 22.

Earlier, US Central Command (CENTCOM) said that 13 US service members have been killed and over 300 wounded since the start of the conflict with Iran on February 28.

It also classified six Air Force deaths as “non-hostile,” the crew of a KC-135 refueling aircraft who died in Iraq while supporting air operations.

Turkish Aid Convoy

Meanwhile, the Red Cross and Türkiye’s Red Crescent on Friday dispatched an emergency humanitarian aid convoy from Türkiye to Iran, as the organization warned of a “desperate” humanitarian situation in the country.

“Humanitarian needs in Iran are extremely high,” International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) spokesperson Scott Craig told AFP shortly before the convoy departed from the outskirts of Ankara.

“The humanitarian situation in Iran is desperate,” Craig said. “Needs will change according to how the situation evolves. But the needs will remain critical for a very long time. The health system in the country has been destroyed.”

He added that large-scale damage to infrastructure had compounded the crisis, with severe psychological and mental health impacts on the population.

The convoy includes around 200 trauma kits containing emergency medical supplies for bombing casualties.

The Turkish Red Crescent has also sent four trucks carrying 48 tons of aid, including emergency shelters for displaced families, hygiene kits and first-aid supplies.

The vehicles bear the message “Humanitarian aid from the Turkish people to the brotherly people of Iran,” an AFP journalist observed at the scene.

Craig said the shipment represents “one of the first international humanitarian aid deliveries into Iran since the conflict began,” adding that global supply chain disruptions, especially to maritime routes, have complicated procurement and transport efforts.

“Sending them overland from Türkiye is a really innovative way of being able to move assistance into the country,” he said.

According to Turkish Red Crescent president Fatma Meric Yilmaz, roughly 3.6 percent of Iran’s 90 million people have been displaced, while 62,000 homes and more than 20,000 businesses have been destroyed.

She said the Iranian Red Crescent had also suffered “severe” losses, with 17 of its centers and nearly 100 ambulances damaged.

The convoy is expected to reach Tehran within 48 hours, after which supplies will be distributed to centers hosting displaced people, Turkish

Red Crescent official Alper Kucuk told AFP.

Iran-Linked Sips Cross Hormuz

Also, most vessels sailing through the Strait of Hormuz in the past day are linked to Iran, according to ship tracking data.

The majority of ships that have sailed through the Strait of Hormuz in the past day were linked to Iran, ship tracking data showed on Friday, with other vessels putting off making voyages despite a two-week ceasefire agreed this week between Tehran and Washington, according to data and shipping sources.

Three tankers – a crude supertanker that can carry 2 million barrels of oil, a bunkering tanker and smaller oil ship – all left Iranian waters in the past 24 hours, based on separate data analysis from Kpler and Lloyd’s List Intelligence platforms.

 

 

 



Ghana Begins Repatriating Citizens from South Africa due to Anti-immigration Tensions

A man draped in a Ghana flag stands among other Ghanaians as Ghana repatriates hundreds of its citizens from South Africa following instances of violence against migrants from other sub-Saharan African countries, amid a wave ‌of protests against illegal immigration, at O.R. Tambo International Airport in Kempton Park, South Africa. REUTERS/Siphiwe Sibeko
A man draped in a Ghana flag stands among other Ghanaians as Ghana repatriates hundreds of its citizens from South Africa following instances of violence against migrants from other sub-Saharan African countries, amid a wave ‌of protests against illegal immigration, at O.R. Tambo International Airport in Kempton Park, South Africa. REUTERS/Siphiwe Sibeko
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Ghana Begins Repatriating Citizens from South Africa due to Anti-immigration Tensions

A man draped in a Ghana flag stands among other Ghanaians as Ghana repatriates hundreds of its citizens from South Africa following instances of violence against migrants from other sub-Saharan African countries, amid a wave ‌of protests against illegal immigration, at O.R. Tambo International Airport in Kempton Park, South Africa. REUTERS/Siphiwe Sibeko
A man draped in a Ghana flag stands among other Ghanaians as Ghana repatriates hundreds of its citizens from South Africa following instances of violence against migrants from other sub-Saharan African countries, amid a wave ‌of protests against illegal immigration, at O.R. Tambo International Airport in Kempton Park, South Africa. REUTERS/Siphiwe Sibeko

The first group of around 300 Ghanaian nationals flew to their country on Wednesday as their government started a voluntary repatriation program for its citizens in response to anti-immigration tensions in South Africa.

Families and travelers gathered at the Tambo International Airport in Johannesburg with their luggage as officials and police coordinated the departure process.

The repatriation follows renewed demonstrations over illegal immigration in parts of South Africa, where frustrations over unemployment, crime and access to services have fueled tensions, The AP news reported.

Ghana’s High Commissioner to South Africa, Benjamin Quashie, told reporters at the airport that more people than those on the registered list turned up to the airport.

He said their registration would be processed ahead of the next flight to Ghana, expected to depart Sunday.

Ghana recently summoned South Africa's ambassador over reported attacks on Ghanaians, before announcing it would evacuate its affected citizens.

Loren Landau, a migration expert and political analyst at the University of the Witwatersrand, said the move by the Ghanaian government was a message to South Africa about their unhappiness over recent events.

“I think in this case, it’s less about Ghana trying to protect its citizens per se, or these 300. This is a symbolic move to try to send a message to their sort of bigger counterpart, South Africa, that this is politically unacceptable,” said Landau.

Some of those repatriated had been held at the Lindela Repatriation Centre for immigration-related matters.

More than 800 Ghanaians registered with the Ghana High Commission in Pretoria for evacuation following weeks of protests and rising fears among foreign nationals.

Ghanaian authorities said the repatriation effort was being carried out in coordination with South African officials after concerns over the safety and well-being of migrants.

South African authorities have condemned violence against foreign nationals while acknowledging concerns about illegal immigration.

Nigeria also voiced its disapproval at the treatment of some of its citizens and said it was also considering evacuating some of its citizens.


Iran Could Open Strait of Hormuz within a Month if Terms Agreed

Ships anchored in the Strait of Hormuz, May 25, 2026 (Reuters)
Ships anchored in the Strait of Hormuz, May 25, 2026 (Reuters)
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Iran Could Open Strait of Hormuz within a Month if Terms Agreed

Ships anchored in the Strait of Hormuz, May 25, 2026 (Reuters)
Ships anchored in the Strait of Hormuz, May 25, 2026 (Reuters)

Tehran would restore shipping through the Strait of Hormuz to pre-war levels within a month in a framework deal with the US to also include withdrawing US forces from Iran's vicinity, Iranian state television reported on Wednesday. The report said the US would end a naval blockade of Iranian shipping, citing a memorandum of understanding being negotiated between the two sides to end the war which has choked global energy supplies through the strategic waterway.

Iranian state TV said it had obtained an unofficial draft of the MOU though it was not final and may not be agreed. The US denied the report, saying it was "complete fabrication" in a White House statement on social media.

Iran's government did not comment. The issue of US troops in the region also needs further discussion, the TV report said without being more specific.

There was no mention of Iran's nuclear program which the US wants disbanded.

The state TV report was the latest signal of possible progress towards a deal, although publicly Tehran and Washington have outlined positions starkly at odds and the potential terms outlined by the broadcaster did not appease all US demands.

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said on Tuesday it may take a few more days, after President Donald Trump had raised hopes over the weekend for an imminent end to the war.

Key sticking points have included reopening and management of the waterway through which a fifth of the world's oil and liquefied natural gas flowed before the conflict and the dismantling of Iran's nuclear capacity.

Oil prices fell more than 5% on Wednesday after the Iranian TV report.

It was not immediately clear what a US military pullback as described by Iranian state television would look like.

US naval vessels, some with thousands of sailors and Marines aboard, regularly transit the region, stopping in ports including in Oman.


Starmer Cites Russian Threat as UK, Poland Seal Defense Pact

Britain’s Prime Minister Keir Starmer visits a children’s activity center in Essex, Britain, Thursday, May 21, 2026. Kin Cheung/Pool via REUTERS
Britain’s Prime Minister Keir Starmer visits a children’s activity center in Essex, Britain, Thursday, May 21, 2026. Kin Cheung/Pool via REUTERS
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Starmer Cites Russian Threat as UK, Poland Seal Defense Pact

Britain’s Prime Minister Keir Starmer visits a children’s activity center in Essex, Britain, Thursday, May 21, 2026. Kin Cheung/Pool via REUTERS
Britain’s Prime Minister Keir Starmer visits a children’s activity center in Essex, Britain, Thursday, May 21, 2026. Kin Cheung/Pool via REUTERS

UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer hailed Wednesday a defense pact with Poland, arguing the European allies faced "no greater challenge" than "Russian aggression" as he welcomed Polish counterpart Donald Tusk to Britain.

The new security treaty signed by the NATO allies aims to allow the two countries to combine their armed forces' expertise and industrial capability, including developing and manufacturing "next-generation complex weapons", according to the UK government.

It paves the way for large?scale joint exercises by land forces and for London and Warsaw to boost the use of uncrewed systems to reinforce NATO's eastern flank, it said.

The agreement's security elements will also bolster information-sharing and other cooperation to tackle organised crime and aid joint work on cyber, migration and health security.

It follows Britain signing similar defense pacts with Germany and France in recent years.

Poland -- an EU and NATO member that shares its eastern border with Russia, Belarus and Ukraine -- also recently inked a deal in Paris to ramp up joint defense ties.

"There's no greater challenge for either of our countries than the challenge of Russian aggression," Starmer, flanking Tusk, said after signing the treaty at a World War II-era bunker on a former military base in northwest London.

"And we see that not just in Ukraine itself, but beyond Ukraine, impacting on our own countries," he added, calling the treaty "a generational uplift" in the allies' security and defense relationship.

Tusk thanked Starmer for his commitment to defending "shared values" like the rule of law, democracy and human rights, saying they were "important for us and for our nations".

"That is the foundation of the treaty," he noted, speaking through an interpreter.

The pair had earlier held bilateral talks at the Royal Air Force's nearby base at Northolt.

They were expected to discuss the uptick in allegedly Russian-ordered arson attacks in London and elsewhere across Europe, as well as other malign threats, Starmer's office said in advance.

The signing came on the same day as the head of the UK's top-secret electronic eavesdropping agency GCHQ accused Russia of "relentlessly" targeting critical infrastructure, democratic processes, supply chains and public trust in Britain and Europe.

Delivering an inaugural annual lecture, Anne Keast-Butler detailed how Moscow has been increasing its hybrid activity against some European countries, as she urged the public and businesses to make cyber security "10 times more urgent".

Keast-Butler -- appointed GCHQ's first woman chief in 2023 -- noted her agency's work focused on "disrupting Russia's efforts to smuggle western tech, fending off cyber attacks, and countering reckless sabotage and assassination attempts".