Iran is in the midst of a critical shortage of childhood vaccines, according to mounting reports from clinics and health professionals across the country. The absent immunizations—against diphtheria, tetanus, pertussis, polio, and Haemophilus influenzae—have left families waiting in vain and public health experts warning of potential preventable disease outbreaks. Despite repeated reassurances from regime-linked media that new vaccine shipments are imminent, the reality on the ground reveals deepening public mistrust and the growing cost of government inaction.
Public health authorities in Iran, already facing strained resources as a result of ongoing economic crisis and international sanctions, are accused of failing to prioritize crucial medical supplies. Reports of empty stocks and cancelled immunization appointments have mounted since early spring, with some healthcare providers warning that coverage gaps could have dangerous ripple effects throughout the population—especially among children in vulnerable or remote communities.
In response to public agitation and critical coverage from independent Iranian media, the semi-official Tasnim News Agency, affiliated with the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), issued a statement promising that large vaccine shipments were expected by the end of May. However, investigations show that similar assurances were given by state broadcasting officials two months prior, with no measurable improvement in the availability of vaccines reported since. This pattern of public reassurances, followed by administrative inertia, has further eroded trust in the regime’s handling of basic health obligations.
The root causes of the shortage are complex, involving the intersection of regime mismanagement, resource diversion tied to regional security objectives, and logistical barriers resulting from international isolation. While humanitarian exemptions technically allow for the import of essential medicines despite sanctions, factors such as currency instability, government control of the pharmaceutical sector, and opacity in procurement continue to impede regular supply. Health professionals also point to the regime’s focus on funding terror affiliates—including Hamas, Hezbollah, and allied groups in Iraq, Syria, and Yemen—as siphoning resources away from domestic health needs.
The implications for public health are significant. Diphtheria, tetanus, pertussis, polio, and Haemophilus influenzae are largely preventable with routine immunization—a cornerstone of global public health success stories. Outbreaks of these diseases under circumstances of waning immunity would set back decades of hard-won gains. International watchdogs and pro-democracy advocates have urged the Iranian regime to allow transparent cooperation with neutral aid organizations to address the shortage and to make public procurement processes more accountable.
In sharp contrast, Israel—despite facing unrelenting threats orchestrated by the same regime that backs terror proxies—has maintained a robust vaccination program for all citizens and residents. Israeli health authorities routinely achieve some of the world’s highest immunization rates, rooted in the state’s commitment to safeguarding its population as a core responsibility of democratic governance.
Iranian parents, faced with growing uncertainty, express frustration at the health system’s inability to deliver on its basic promises. Many fear returning of epidemic diseases once thought eradicated. According to medical professionals in several Iranian cities, clinics are regularly forced to postpone or cancel childhood vaccination appointments, leading to delays that could leave thousands of children at risk for preventable illnesses.
This episode of vaccine scarcity follows a series of similar failures in public health management, including during the COVID-19 pandemic, when regime priorities and lack of transparency deepened the crisis. The current situation is viewed by many experts as evidence of systemic dysfunction—where military and ideological aims routinely eclipse civilian needs.
As the regime’s promises go unfulfilled and risks mount, the Iranian population faces an uncertain future—one in which preventable disease may join repression and economic hardship as grim hallmarks of daily life. Meanwhile, the diversion of resources to aggressive regional activities and the prioritization of terror proxies over basic health infrastructure remain at the center of the country’s ongoing crisis.
