“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 relief effort comes as a two-week ceasefire between the United States and Iran looks to be on shaky ground, with both sides accusing the other of failing to respect the agreement.

The conflict has left more than 2,000 people dead over the past five weeks.

“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 tonnes 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 Turkey 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 per cent 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 centres and nearly 100 ambulances damaged.

The convoy is expected to reach Tehran within 48 hours, after which supplies will be distributed to centres hosting displaced people, Turkish Red Crescent official Alper Kucuk told AFP.