The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) has said in a statement that up to 3.2 million people within Iran are temporarily displaced.

“Between 600,000 and 1m Iranian households are now temporarily displaced inside Iran as a result of the ongoing conflict, according to preliminary assessments,” the UN body has said.

“Most of them are reportedly fleeing from Tehran and other major urban areas towards the north of the country and rural areas to seek safety.”

UNHCR warns that this number is likely to rise as hostilities continue and adds that foreign refugees hosted in the country, such as Afghans, are particularly vulnerable due to “their already precarious situation and limited support networks”.