Iranian Red Crescent Society

{{Short description|Non-governmental organization for disaster relief based in Iran}}

{{Infobox organization

| name = Iranian Red Crescent Society

| image = Iranian Red Crescent logo.svg

| image_border =

| size = 160px

| abbreviation = IRCS

| caption =

| motto =

| 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

| founder = Amir Amir-Aʿlam

| sec_gen = Dr. Yaghob Soleymani

| leader_title = President

| leader_name = Pirhossein Kolivand{{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}}

| headquarters = Building of Peace, 136 Pahlavi St., Tehran

| region_served = Iran

| staff = 7,000 paid employees{{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}}

| staff_year = 2005

| volunteers = 2,000,000{{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}}

| volunteers_year = 2017

| budget = $231.36 million{{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.}}

| budget_year = 2016–17

| website = {{URL|http://en.rcs.ir/}}

| formerly = Red Lion and Sun Society

}}

The Iranian Red Crescent Society (IRCS), officially the Red Crescent Society of the Islamic Republic of Iran ({{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.{{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}} Founded as the Red Lion and Sun Society in 1922, it became affiliated with the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) in 1924{{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}} and changed its name and emblem in 1980, informing the international community of Hilal Ahmar adoption{{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}} while assuming the right to adopt the former emblem in future.

The society is one of the world's largest national societies within IFRC and is noted for its special expertise in responding to earthquakes.

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. 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.

IRCS is an example of strong national societies that play an important role domestically{{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 {{subscription required}}|jstor=195770|doi=10.1080/13530199708705644}} and is held in high esteem by the Iranian general public.