International Journal of Health Policy and Management

International Journal of Health Policy and Management

Lessons From Iran’s Health-System Response to the June 2025 12-Day Conflict: Implications for Preparedness Amid Continuing Regional Escalation

Articles in Press

Document Type : Viewpoint

Authors
Alireza Hajizadeh 1
Zahra Najafpour 2
Jalal Saeidpour 1
Forough Saraee 2
Edris Kakemam 3
1 National Institute for Health Research, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
2 Department of Health Management, Policy and Economics, School of Public Health, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
3 Non-communicable Diseases Research Center, Research Institute for Prevention of Non-communicable Diseases, Qazvin University of Medical Sciences, Qazvin, Iran
Keywords
Health System
Health Care
Crisis
War
Iran

Introduction

 

Armed conflict can disrupt health systems through damage to healthcare facilities, shortages of essential supplies, workforce pressure, population displacement, and interruption of routine services. Experiences from Ukraine and Gaza show that wartime health-system performance depends not only on emergency clinical care, but also on resilient infrastructure, secure supply chains, supported health workers, continuity of essential services, and coordinated governance.1-3 ...(Read more...)

1.     World Health Organization (WHO). Health emergency and disaster risk management framework. WHO; 2019.
2.     Barten DG, Tin D, Granholm F, Rusnak D, van Osch F, Ciottone G. Attacks on Ukrainian healthcare facilities during the first year of the full-scale Russian invasion of Ukraine. Confl Health. 2023;17(1):57. doi:10.1186/s13031-023-00557-2
3.     Mahmoud H, Abuzerr S. State of the health-care system in Gaza during the Israel-Hamas war. Lancet. 2023;402(10419):2294. doi:10.1016/S0140-6736(23)02634-X
4.     Bagheri Dolatabadi A. The June 2025 Israeli War: Iran's Assessment and Regional Consequences. Middle East Policy. 2025;32(3):16-35.
5.     Howard S. Hospitals are targeted and destroyed as Israel-Iran war hits healthcare. BMJ. 2025;389:r1320. doi:10.1136/bmj.r1320
6.     Doshmangir L, Bazyar M, Majdzadeh R, Takian A. So near, so far: four decades of health policy reforms in Iran, achievements and challenges. Arch Iran Med. 2019;22(10):592-605.
7.     Sajadi HS, Yahyaei F, Ehsani-Chimeh E, Majdzadeh R. The human cost of economic sanctions and strategies for building health system resilience: a scoping review of studies in Iran. Int J Health Plann Manage. 2023;38(5):1142-1160. doi:10.1002/hpm.3651
8.     Fakharian E, Mahdian M. The urgent need for Iran’s health system preparedness for war-related trauma amid geopolitical tensions. Arch Trauma Res. 2025;14(2):63-64.
9.     Al-Jadba G, Zeidan W, Spiegel PB, Shaer T, Najjar S, Seita A. UNRWA at the frontlines: managing health care in Gaza during catastrophe. Lancet. 2024;403(10428):723-726. doi:10.1016/S0140-6736(24)00230-7 
International Journal of Health Policy and Management

Articles in Press, Corrected Proof
Available Online from 25 August 2026

  • Received Date 21 August 2025
  • Revised Date 04 August 2026
  • Accepted Date 11 August 2026
  • First Published Date 25 August 2026
  • Published Date 25 August 2026