The continuing U.S.-Israeli attacks on Iran are having significant impacts on Iranian’s mental health and causing huge damage to the country's environment, Ali Jafarian, Iranian Deputy Health Minister, said in an interview with China Global Television (CGTN) in Tehran on Monday.
He said the ministry has been working to treat the wounded and provide psychological support for the families of the victims of the Feb 28 strike on Shajarah Tayyebeh elementary school in Minab, which occurred during U.S. operations targeting a nearby Iranian military base.
"The issue is that those families, with this huge grief, how should they adapt with it, how should they cope with it. And my colleagues over there are working on the mental health for the families. There would be post-traumatic stress disorder, which is very significant in that situation specifically. And they are doing that. Teams are there and working on that. The issue of the wounded people was solved. They are treated, those who were admitted they are discharged now. And the main issue is following up with the families of those victims," said Jafarian.
Jafarian said that attacks on fuel storage facilities in Tehran, which had turned the sky black, amounted to a "war crime."
"The day after the explosions the sky was dark in Tehran and there was some acid rain in the city. All the cars were turned to black and there was some liquid things that was black. And if you touch that, your hands would be black. And these are dangerous for the skin and these are dangerous also for the respiratory system. And it is some type of war crime, I think, because this is not a military target to be attacked. It is something that has direct effects on the population's health and on the environmental health," he said.
UN humanitarian agencies said last week that the war in the Middle East is upending lives across the region and beyond, with toxic "black rain" linked to strikes on oil depots causing widespread impacts.
Speaking at a press conference in Geneva, Ravina Shamdasani, spokesperson for the UN Human Rights Office, raised concerns about the health and environmental impacts of Israeli and U.S. strikes on oil depots in Iran as toxic pollutants spread in the air.
US-Israeli attacks having significant impacts on mental health, environment: Iranian minister
