Iran

US-Israeli attacks on Iran’s 107-year-old Pasteur Institute were aimed at undermining the country’s public health resilience by damaging critical research, vaccine production, and disease-detection capabilities, according to the institute’s director. Ehsan Mostafavi said the institute was struck on three occasions during the 40-day US-Israeli aggression against Iran, on February 28, the day the war broke out, March 6, and March 23. The attacks damaged several buildings and destroyed or disabled scientific equipment used in cell banking, biotechnology, molecular medicine and malaria research, Mostafavi added.

The director estimated the total damage at 40 trillion rials (approximately $14.8 million), including more than 30 trillion rials (approximately $11.1 million) in equipment losses. He said the damage affected the institute’s research and technological infrastructure, as well as its diagnostic capacity. Critical health infrastructure under threat Mostafavi highlighted three aspects of the institute’s importance: its historical significance, its role in producing essential vaccines, and its extensive diagnostic services.

Founded 107 years ago, the Pasteur Institute is one of Iran’s oldest public health institutions. Its damaged historic building is also listed as part of the country’s cultural heritage, he said. The institute has played a key role in protecting generations of Iranians through its vaccine production, he said. “Among its products are BCG and hepatitis B vaccines, which are administered to newborns in Iran.” Its diagnostic network is also central to the country’s ability to detect and respond to infectious diseases, according to Mostafavi.

The institute operates 13 national reference laboratories for disease diagnosis, three collaborating reference laboratories and eight public health laboratories, he added. “Almost all the laboratories at the Pasteur Institute of Iran are specifically engaged in disease diagnosis,” Mostafavi said, adding that he could not identify another institution in Iran offering diagnostic services on a comparable scale, particularly for infectious diseases.

The damage, he warned, could therefore have implications extending beyond the institute itself, potentially affecting the wider health system’s ability to respond to emerging threats. “When such an institution is damaged, all these aspects are affected,” Mostafavi said. “In a sense, it also affects people’s resilience, because this is an institution that works to strengthen public health security.” Concerns over future biological threats Mostafavi said much of the infrastructure damaged in the attacks had been developed over decades to help Iran respond to public health emergencies, including pandemics such as COVID-19, outbreaks of mpox and potential deliberate biological attacks.

“The institute’s infrastructure is intended to help the country during times of crisis and when threats emerge, particularly biological threats,” he said. He stressed that restoring the institute’s capabilities was essential to ensuring the country could respond effectively if another public health emergency occurred. “More than simply worrying about the possibility of the Pasteur Institute being attacked again, our concern is how well it will be able to respond if specific health threats continue,” Mostafavi said.

Precautions limited disruption to diagnostic services According to Mostafavi, the institute had taken precautionary measures following the 12-day war and continued threats of further attacks against Iran. Some essential diagnostic equipment and important samples were moved to safer locations before the latest war and during its early days, he said. “As a result of these preparations, we were able to re-establish our diagnostic capacity at another location when the war began,” he said.

“We did not allow one of the institute’s most important services—providing diagnostic support to the health system—to suffer a serious disruption.” Formal reconstruction began in early July, Mostafavi said. “Most buildings that sustained less severe damage have since returned to operational use, and all staff have resumed work.” However, he said, some damaged scientific equipment has yet to be substantially replaced, limiting activities in some departments.

International condemnation and calls for support The institute also has an international role through its membership in the International Pasteur Network and its two World Health Organization collaborating centers, which focus on rabies and rabies vaccines, and vector-borne diseases. Mostafavi said the WHO director-general had issued a statement condemning the attack, while the International Pasteur Network had condemned it on two occasions.

The institute has documented the damage through video materials, animations and two books published in Persian and English under the title Pasteur Institute of Iran and War, he highlighted. Articles addressing the damage have also appeared in scientific journals, including Science and The Lancet, he said. “We still have a challenging road ahead before reconstruction can be fully completed,” Mostafavi said. “I am grateful to my colleagues for their patience and unwavering support, and I hope they will continue to stand by us as they have done so far, so that, with the support we receive, we can rebuild the Pasteur Institute into an institution stronger than ever.”