Iran faces deepening medicine shortages as US-Israeli conflict continues

As the US-Israeli conflict with Iran continues, ordinary Iranians face a deepening medicine crisis. Health Minister Mohammad Reza Zafarghandi reported that 16 pharmaceutical factories and over 70 hospitals have been attacked, including Tehran-based Tofigh Daru on March 31, 2026. A US naval blockade has halted maritime shipments of raw materials from India, forcing a costly shift to air freight. Coupled with inflation and banking sanctions, the price of essential drugs like insulin has tripled, leaving patients struggling.

Iran medicine shortages

• ▪Medicine shortages have deepened in Iran due to maritime shipping disruptions, sanctions, inflation, the weakening rial, and direct military damage to the country's pharmaceutical sector during the US-Israeli war against Iran
• ▪The price of a five-pack of insulin pens in Tehran has more than tripled since the outbreak of the US-Israeli war against Iran, causing severe supply scarcity at local pharmacies

Pharmaceutical factory attacks

• ▪Iranian Health Minister Mohammad Reza Zafarghandi stated that 16 pharmaceutical factories and more than 70 hospitals in Iran have been attacked since the conflict began.
• ▪Tofigh Daru Research and Engineering Company chief executive officer Navid Nobakht stated that the March 31, 2026 missile attack was intended to disrupt production of specialized medicines for cancer and multiple sclerosis.
• ▪Three missiles struck the main building of Tehran-based Tofigh Daru Research and Engineering Company on March 31, 2026, damaging laboratories, a data center, production facilities, and storage areas.

Maritime shipping disruptions

• ▪Iranian officials stated that a United States naval blockade and wartime conditions have restricted the import of pharmaceutical raw materials into Iran, particularly from India and China.
• ▪Iranian Health Minister Mohammad Reza Zafarghandi stated that air freight transports only 20 to 40 tons of pharmaceutical raw materials per aircraft, compared to several thousand tons carried by a cargo ship.
• ▪Iranian Health Minister Mohammad Reza Zafarghandi stated that India has stopped sending pharmaceutical raw materials to Iran by sea during the US-Israeli war against Iran, forcing Iran to rely on air freight

Sanctions payment difficulties

• ▪Iranian pharmaceutical companies struggle to transfer money to foreign suppliers, obtain insurance, and arrange shipments despite formal humanitarian exemptions from international sanctions.
• ▪Inflation and the depreciation of the Iranian rial have increased the cost of imported raw materials, equipment, packaging, and transport, squeezing Iranian drug manufacturers, distributors, and pharmacies.

Patient humanitarian crisis

• ▪Tehran resident Ali Mohseni urged Iranian officials to prioritize negotiations and take steps to restore normal life, stating that ordinary people should not pay the price for political conflicts.
• ▪Chronically ill patients in Iran, including cancer patients, diabetics, and the elderly, face severe health risks as essential medications become unavailable or unaffordable due to the US-Israeli war against Iran
• ▪Tehran resident Ali Mohseni stated that his 74-year-old mother relies on insulin pens as an essential, life-sustaining medication that has become increasingly difficult to source.

Debatable claims

• ▪The US should ease its naval blockade to facilitate medical imports into Iran
• ▪Iran should prioritize diplomatic negotiations to end the conflict
• ▪Military strikes on Iranian pharmaceutical factories violate international law