ISLAMABAD: Iranian government sources have alleged that a US strike hit a civilian Mahan Air aircraft destined for Delhi for transporting more than 11 tons of humanitarian medicines for war victims.
Tehran has described the incident as a direct hit on international aid efforts amid the ongoing 2026 Iran conflict.
The aircraft operated by the US-sanctioned Iranian carrier was scheduled to collect critical medical supplies procured through donations from Indian citizens via the Iranian embassy in New Delhi.
Mahan Air officials confirmed the plane carried antibiotics, surgical kits, trauma medicines and essential drugs urgently needed for civilians injured in recent US and Israeli airstrikes across Iranian territory.
Regional Indian media reports authenticated the mission details stating the flight from Mashhad was set to arrive in Delhi to load the 11-ton consignment before returning to Iran.
No independent verification of casualties has emerged yet but Iranian state television reported the loss of the Boeing 777 wide-body jet as a deliberate targeting of humanitarian logistics.
This marks the latest escalation in the five-week-old war that has already seen over a dozen Iranian civilian and commercial aircraft destroyed on the ground or in flight according to aviation tracking data compiled by Wikipedia’s 2026 Iran war incident list.
Mahan Air itself has operated under US Treasury sanctions since 2011 for alleged ties to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps and support for regional operations.
Despite these restrictions the airline recently acquired five former Singapore Airlines Boeing 777-200ER jets through complex sanctions-evasion routes involving third-country shell companies and rerouting via China and Cambodia as documented in 2025 aviation reports.
The humanitarian cargo represented a coordinated India-Iran effort to alleviate medical shortages caused by the conflict which has strained Iran’s pharmaceutical imports already hit by banking restrictions.
Indian diplomatic sources told The Print newspaper that the medicines were funded by public donations collected across major cities including Delhi and Mumbai specifically for Iranian war victims.
Tehran’s foreign ministry issued a strongly worded statement accusing Washington of violating international humanitarian law by striking a clearly marked civilian flight operating under standard commercial flight plans.
“Attacking an aid-carrying aircraft is not just an act of aggression but a crime against humanity” a senior Iranian official was quoted as saying in state media.
The allegation has drawn swift condemnation from several regional capitals including calls from Pakistan’s Foreign Office for an immediate independent investigation into the incident.
Aviation experts note that Mahan Air flights to Delhi had become routine for medical evacuations and supply runs even during heightened tensions following earlier evacuation operations that brought over 1400 Indian nationals home safely from Iran in 2025.
Satellite imagery reviewed by independent analysts showed damage consistent with precision strikes at Mashhad International Airport where the aircraft was preparing for departure though Iranian sources insist the jet was hit while airborne en route.
The 11-ton payload included over 5000 units of critical trauma care items sufficient to treat hundreds of wounded civilians according to embassy procurement lists shared with Indian authorities.
This incident comes as the broader conflict has disrupted over 80 percent of Iran’s commercial aviation fleet with multiple airlines reporting grounded operations due to airfield damage and fuel shortages.
US Central Command has not issued an official comment on the specific Mahan Air allegation though Pentagon briefings earlier this month highlighted ongoing strikes aimed at degrading Iranian air capabilities.
Global health organisations have warned that continued disruption of such aid corridors could lead to secondary humanitarian crises with medicine shortages already reported in several Iranian provinces.
Iranian civil aviation authorities have grounded all remaining Mahan Air wide-body operations pending safety reviews while demanding accountability from Washington.
The episode has further strained diplomatic channels between Tehran and New Delhi even as both sides continue quiet coordination on humanitarian matters.
Analysts tracking the 2026 war note that civilian aviation losses now total at least 15 aircraft including one other Mahan Air Boeing 777 listed in official incident compilations.
Public outrage in Iran has surged with social media campaigns using the hashtag for the downed flight trending across Persian-language platforms.
Tehran has vowed to pursue the matter at the United Nations and International Civil Aviation Organisation calling the strike a blatant violation of the Chicago Convention on civil aviation.
As rescue and recovery efforts continue at the reported crash site Iranian officials have reiterated that the flight carried no military personnel or cargo exclusively humanitarian relief for war victims.
The development underscores the fragile state of regional air corridors amid the conflict with potential long-term implications for international humanitarian flights operating near active war zones.