FWD: “Here in Tehran, entire residential neighborhoods have been destroyed”
Cornelius Hamelberg
https://www.dn.se/varlden/har-i-teheran-har-hela-bostadskvarter-odelagts/
“Here in Tehran, entire residential neighborhoods have been destroyed”
Updated yesterday 09:32Published 2026-05-31
Jan Egeland, Secretary General of the Norwegian Refugee Council, is on site in Iran. Photo: Dena Razmehr/NRC
The world is ignoring the people of Iran. And the situation is urgent. That is the conclusion of the Norwegian aid organization NRC, after a few days of touring the country.
– The consequences for the civilian population are forgotten in a kind of chess game between Iran on one side and the USA and Israel on the other, says Secretary General Jan Egeland to DN.
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After a blackout lasting several months, the internet is working again in Iran. At least in the capital Tehran, where Jan Egeland, secretary general of the aid organization Norwegian Refugee Council, NRC, is when DN speaks to him. He is sitting in front of a wall map of Iran and the video call works perfectly.
– The fact that the internet has been down has contributed to there being far too little focus on the fate of the civilian population. It has also created an enormous amount of rumors, says Jan Egeland.
He entered Iran by land via Turkey on Friday and has traveled through five different provinces in the past few days. What he has seen has made him even more convinced of the dire need for aid in the country after more than two months of American and Israeli bombings.
– Everyone is afraid that the war will start again. There were thousands of rockets and missiles every day. Tehran has eleven million inhabitants, and probably three million fled during the bombings. Many are back now, but many returned to find that their houses are no longer there.
Jan Egeland visits NRC's classroom psychosocial support program in Iran. Photo: Clarissa Crippa/NRC
On the way between Turkey and the capital Tehran, the NRC only passed one military roadblock. Jan Egeland says that paradoxically, it is easier for aid organizations to operate in Iran now than it has been before.
– It is clear that the Iranian regime realizes that the need for help is enormous. It makes it easier for us to travel around. At the same time, only two countries have given us emergency financial aid, and that is Sweden and Norway.
After the war began on February 28, the NRC realized that enormous resources would be needed to assist civilians. It went out and asked for 60 million US dollars. So far, the NRC has received a total of two million, from Norway and Sweden.
– Most donor countries don't dare give money to Iran. That's how it is. Normally, a large organization like NRC has help from at least ten donor countries, now there are only two. That makes it even more heartbreaking to meet refugees who are so worried about the future.
DN interviews Jan Egeland who is in Tehran. Photo: DN
NRC has been present in Iran since 2012 and devotes a significant part of its efforts to helping Afghan refugees in the country.
– Iran is the largest refugee-receiving country in the world. This includes 4.5 million Afghans and hundreds of thousands of Iraqis.
During his journey through Iran, Jan Egeland was shocked by the destruction. Military sites and industries have been bombed, but also a very large number of schools, hospitals and homes.
– Here in Tehran, entire residential areas have been destroyed. What everyone we meet says is that their economic situation has been greatly affected. Incomes have been cut. Jobs have disappeared. Among the Afghan refugees, many of the men worked in the construction industry and the women in various cleaning and domestic service jobs. Almost everyone has been fired.
There was talk early in the war that the plan from the US and Israel was to “help” the people overthrow the regime. Do you hear anything about this?
– We are an aid organization and there is very little talk about politics. I have seen several pro-government demonstrations, for the regime. That is what I have seen. But there were big demonstrations against the regime in January that we all know about. In general, it is quite calm here now.
Jan Egeland has traveled to five different regions in Iran and spoken to people in dire need of help. Photo: Dena Razmehr/NRC
It is, as so often, the hardest for the children. Jan Egeland talks about children who cannot sleep due to nightmares about the war starting again.
– Many are traumatized. 17 million schoolchildren have not been able to go to school since the war began, their schools are still closed. The children are at home and have had digital education. The hope is that they will be able to return to school when the new school year begins in September.
Now Jan Egeland hopes that more countries will join hands with Norway and Sweden and help. He also says, a little between the lines, that Norway and Sweden could also do more.
– I have met many European ambassadors in Tehran today and explained that we need help. “Refugees should be helped where they are” is the motto of many countries today and yes, then we will have to help four million Afghans in Iran. Otherwise they will simply have to migrate to Europe.
– There are so many Western countries that spend so much money on military armaments at home and forget about stability in the rest of the world. It is not a well-thought-out policy.
Facts. Thousands dead in Iran
Since the war began on February 28, nearly 3,500 people have been killed and over 32,000 injured in the country, according to Iran's Health Ministry.
The intensive airstrikes on Iran, carried out in densely populated areas, led to millions of people fleeing their homes. Many have now returned, but for some there is nowhere to return to. In total, almost 150,000 homes, shops, schools and other civilian buildings have been damaged, and 17 million students are still unable to attend classes on site.
The more than four million Afghan refugees in the country are among those hardest hit by the consequences of the war. More than 35,000 have returned to Afghanistan since the conflict began and over a million are still at risk of deportation.
Source: DN and NRC
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