{{Short description|Non-governmental organization based in Iran}} {{Infobox organization | name = Red Crescent Society of the Islamic Republic of Iran | native_name = {{Script/Nastaliq|جمعیت هلال احمر جمهوری اسلامی ایران}} | image = Iranian Red Crescent logo.svg | image_border = | image_size = 160px | abbreviation = IRCS | caption = | purpose = Humanitarian aid | services = {{hlist|Relief operations|Search and rescue|Education|Research}} | fields = {{hlist|Pharmaceutical industry|Textile manufacturing|Healthcare}} | formation = {{start date and age|1922|df=y}} | channel = | type = NGO | status = Legislated by the Iranian Parliament on 28 April 1988<ref name="Iranica"/> | founder = Amir Amir-Aʿlam<ref name="Iranica"/> | secretary_general = Dr. Yaghob Soleymani | leader_title = President | leader_name = Pirhossein Kolivand<ref>{{citation|title=UN Humanitarian head praised Iran for rescue attempts after quake|url=http://www.irna.ir/en/News/82740384|work=Islamic Republic News Agency|date=23 November 2017|access-date=24 November 2017|id=82740384|archive-date=29 August 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180829120751/http://www.irna.ir/en/News/82740384|url-status=live}}</ref> | headquarters = Building of Peace, 136 Valiasr Street, Tehran | region_served = Iran | num_staff = 7,000 paid employees<ref name="IRRC">{{citation|url=https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/international-review-of-the-red-cross/article/interview-with-ahmad-ali-noorbala/09501DF095845B333E7ADDCC80B7C451|title=Interview with Ahmad Ali Noorbala|journal=International Review of the Red Cross|publisher=International Committee of the Red Cross|volume=87|number=858|date=June 2005|pages=241–253|author1=Toni Pfanner|author2=Andreas Wigger|author3=Mostafa Mohaghegh|via=Cambridge University Press|access-date=2017-11-24|archive-date=2018-06-10|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180610030802/https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/international-review-of-the-red-cross/article/interview-with-ahmad-ali-noorbala/09501DF095845B333E7ADDCC80B7C451|url-status=live}}</ref> | num_staff_year = 2005 | num_volunteers = 2,000,000<ref>{{citation|title=Red Crescent volunteer organization with 2mn members|url=http://www.irna.ir/en/News/82632949/|work=Islamic Republic News Agency|date=15 August 2017|access-date=24 November 2017|id=82632949}}</ref> | num_volunteers_year = 2017 | budget = $231.36 million<ref>{{citation|title=IRCS Slams Meager Budget Increase|url=https://financialtribune.com/articles/economy-domestic-economy/55660/ircs-slams-meager-budget-increase|work=Financial Tribune|date=19 December 2016|access-date=24 November 2017|id=82632949|quote=The government has increased IRCS budget for renovation and procurement of relief supplies by 1,000 billion rials ($25.64 million at market exchange rate) to 5,000 billion rials ($128.2 million). IRCS’s budget for relief supplies saw a steep cut of 3,000 billion rials ($76.92 million) last year to stand at 7,000 billion rials ($179.48 million). It was again reduced to 4,000 billion rials ($102.56 million) in the current Iranian year’s budget, the Persian daily Shahrvand reported.}}</ref> | budget_year = 2016–17 | website = {{URL|http://en.rcs.ir/|rcs.ir}} | former_name = Red Lion and Sun Society }} The '''Iranian Red Crescent Society''' ('''IRCS'''), officially the '''Red Crescent Society of the Islamic Republic of Iran''' ('''RCSIRI''') ({{langx|fa|جمعیت هلال احمر جمهوری اسلامی ایران|Jamʿiyyat-e Helâl-e Ahmar-e Jomhuri-ye Eslâmi-ye Irân}}) is a non-governmental humanitarian organization in Iran.<ref name="Iranica">{{cite encyclopedia|title=JAMʿIYAT-E HELĀL-E AḤMAR-E IRĀN|encyclopedia=Encyclopædia Iranica|date=21 January 2016|publisher=Bibliotheca Persica Press|location=New York City|url=http://www.iranicaonline.org/articles/jamiyat-e-helal-e-ahmar|last1=Ghassemlou|first1=Farid|edition=Online|access-date=24 November 2017|archive-date=19 May 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230519065155/https://www.iranicaonline.org/articles/jamiyat-e-helal-e-ahmar|url-status=live}}</ref> Founded as the Red Lion and Sun Society in 1922,<ref name="IRRC"/> it became affiliated with the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) in 1924<ref>{{citation|title=IRCS among top five int'l relief bodies|url=http://www.iran-daily.com/News/58883.html|work=Iran daily|date=4 January 2015|access-date=24 November 2017|id=58883|archive-date=7 June 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230607182501/http://www.iran-daily.com/News/58883.html|url-status=live}}</ref> and changed its name and emblem in 1980, informing the international community of ''Hilal Ahmar'' adoption<ref>{{citation|url=https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/international-review-of-the-red-cross/article/interview-with-ahmad-ali-noorbala/09501DF095845B333E7ADDCC80B7C451|title=Adoption of the red crescent by the Islamic Republic of Iran|journal=International Review of the Red Cross|publisher=International Committee of the Red Cross|volume=20|number=219|date=December 1980|pages=316–317|author1=H. Beer|author2=J. Moreillon|via=Cambridge University Press|doi=10.1017/S002086040006736X|url-access=subscription|access-date=2017-11-24|archive-date=2018-06-10|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180610030802/https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/international-review-of-the-red-cross/article/interview-with-ahmad-ali-noorbala/09501DF095845B333E7ADDCC80B7C451|url-status=live}}</ref> while assuming the right to adopt the former emblem in future.<ref name="Iranica"/>
The society is one of the world's largest national societies within IFRC<ref name="IRRC"/> and is noted for its special expertise in responding to earthquakes.<ref name="BJMES"/>
Since inception, the IRCS has participated in a variety of public activities. Its core activity is to perform relief and rescue operations to help victims and the injured in natural disasters and accidents. It also engages a in wide range of humanitarian services in health and rehabilitation, training and research.<ref name="IRRC"/> The society had a therapeutic approach and was regarded a major healthcare institution with thousands of hospital beds across the country until 1979, when all of its medical facilities were transferred to the Ministry of Health.<ref name="Iranica"/>
IRCS is an example of strong national societies that play an important role domestically<ref name="BJMES">{{cite journal|title=The Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement and Islamic Societies, with Special Reference to Jordan|journal=British Journal of Middle Eastern Studies|volume=24|number=2|year=1997|pages=157–177|publisher=British Society for Middle Eastern Studies|author=Jonathan Benthall |jstor=195770|doi=10.1080/13530199708705644}} {{subscription required}}</ref> and is held in high esteem by the Iranian general public.<ref name="IRRC"/>
==Organization== [[File:Red Lion with Sun.svg|thumb|Emblem formerly used for the Red Lion and Sun Society<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.icrc.org/sites/default/files/external/doc/en/assets/files/other/icrc_002_0321.pdf |title=Protocol additional to the Geneva conventions of 12 August 1949/ page 73 |access-date=7 March 2026 |archive-date=2 March 2026 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20260302001239/https://www.icrc.org/sites/default/files/external/doc/en/assets/files/other/icrc_002_0321.pdf |url-status=live }}</ref>]]
IRCS has 30 governorate headquarters, one in each province of Iran, and 330 branches throughout the country, as of 2005.<ref name="IRRC"/> Based on the latest structure, it is made up of four departments: relief and rescue (''emdād wa najāt''), medical provisions (''tadārokāt-e pezeški''), volunteers (''dāvṭalabān''), and youth (''javānān'').<ref name="Iranica"/> The latter is largely made up of high school and university student members.<ref name="IRRC"/>
According to the law enacted by the Iranian Parliament, the society is run by a chairman appointed by the President of Iran. This procedure is in contrast with the elective nature of a society chairman as suggested by the IFRC.<ref name="Iranica"/> The secretary general is responsible for the administrative and executive affairs.<ref name="Iranica"/>
=== Other subordinates === IRCS owns and runs Helal Iran Textile Industries Co., a producer of blankets and tents.<ref>{{citation|title=ICRC hails Iran Textile Industries' contributions|url=https://en.mehrnews.com/news/105519/ICRC-hails-Iran-Textile-Industries-contributions|work=Mehr News Agency|date=14 January 2015|access-date=24 November 2017|id=2558936|archive-date=1 December 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171201041324/https://en.mehrnews.com/news/105519/ICRC-hails-Iran-Textile-Industries-contributions|url-status=live}}</ref> SOHA, a manufacturer of disposable medical devices is also owned by the society,<ref>{{citation|title=ICRC, IRCS For Stronger Ties|url=http://www.iran-daily.com/1391/4/8/MainPaper/4267/Page/3/MainPaper_4267_3.pdf|work=Iran daily|number=4267|page=3|date=28 June 2012|access-date=24 November 2017|id=2558936|archive-date=3 November 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211103165148/http://www.iran-daily.com/1391/4/8/MainPaper/4267/Page/3/MainPaper_4267_3.pdf|url-status=live}}</ref> as well as ''Shahrvand'', a daily newspaper.<ref>{{citation|title=Harrowing Images Shock Iranand Spark Widespread Outrage|url=http://eng.majalla.com/editions/al-majalla-issue-1630-en.pdf|work=The Majalla|number=1630|page=4|date=27 January 2017|access-date=24 November 2017|author=Fairoza Ramadan Zada|archive-date=1 December 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171201031802/http://eng.majalla.com/editions/al-majalla-issue-1630-en.pdf|url-status=dead}}</ref> The ''Iranian Red Crescent Medical Journal'', an English language peer-reviewed journal on clinical and scientific medicine, is another publication of IRCS.<ref name=ircmj->{{cite journal |url=http://www.ircmj.com/index.php/IRCMJ/about |title=About the Journal |issn=2074-1804 |website=Iranian Red Crescent Medical Journal |doi=10.32592/ircmj.Crossmark |access-date=1 January 2021|doi-access=free }}</ref>
==Presidents == Heads of the society have been:<ref name="Iranica"/> * 1922–1949: Amir Amir-A'lam (deputy director) ** 1922–1925: Mohammad Hassan Mirza (honorary) ** 1927–1931: Mostowfi ol-Mamalek (chairman) ** 1931–1941: Reza Pahlavi (symbolic) ** 1941–1949: Mohammad Reza Pahlavi * 1949–1979: Hossein Khatibi Nouri (managing director) ** 1949–1979: Shams Pahlavi (chairwoman) * 1979–1980: Kazem Sami * 1980–1981: Ali Behzadnia * 1981–1983: Hassan Firouzabadi * 1983–1999: Seifollah Vahid Dastjerdi * 1999–2006: Ahmad-Ali Nourbala * 2006–2010: Masoud Khatami * 2010–2013: Abolhassan Faqih * 2013–2014: Mohammad Farhadi * 2014–2017: Amir-Mohsen Ziayi * 2017–2019: Ali Asqar Peyvandi * 2020–2021: Karim Hemmati * 2021–present: Pirhossein Kolivand
==References== {{Reflist}}
==External links== {{commons category|Iranian Red Crescent Society}} *[http://rcs.ir/ Official Website] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190726135051/http://rcs.ir/ |date=2019-07-26 }} *[http://www.ircmj.com/ Iranian Red Crescent Medical Journal]
{{Red_Cross_Red_Crescent_Movement}} {{Authority control}}
Iran Category:1922 establishments in Iran Category:Organizations established in 1922 Category:Medical and health organisations based in Iran Category:Emergency management in Iran Category:First aid organizations Category:Volunteer organizations Category:Non-profit organisations based in Iran