Iranian President Says Blocking International Aid For Flood-Struck Nation Criminal

Iranian President Says Blocking International Aid for Flood-Struck Nation Criminal

Iranian President Hassan Rouhani on Wednesday criticized the impediment of deliveries of foreign aid to the country during its struggle to recover from weeks of heavy flooding and equated it to an "unprecedented crime

MOSCOW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 03rd April, 2019) Iranian President Hassan Rouhani on Wednesday criticized the impediment of deliveries of foreign aid to the country during its struggle to recover from weeks of heavy flooding and equated it to an "unprecedented crime."

Over the past two weeks, Iran has been hit by devastating flash floods triggered by heavy rains. The floods have affected at least 24 out of 31 Iranian provinces, resulting in dozens of deaths and injuries, as well as damaged infrastructure.

"Preventing foreign aid from entering the country in these hard conditions is an unprecedented crime," Rouhani said in a published statement, without naming the culprits.

Addressing ministers and members of parliament at Wednesday's meeting, Rouhani stated that the floods were "unprecedented in the last 100 years."

"We need to use high-tech facilities to forecast the weather more accurately," he admitted.

Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif was more precise on Tuesday, blaming the United States' sanctions for impeding assistance to residents of Iran's flood-affected regions. His words were echoed by Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Bahram Qassemi, who stressed that Washington interfered with efforts to assist flood victims in Iran by blocking the accounts of the Iranian Red Crescent.

In late March the United States unveiled a new batch of sanctions against Iran, targeting funding for the military and Revolutionary Guard. These were the latest restrictions Washington had unleashed against Tehran in less than a year since US President Donald Trump, a long-time critic of the historic Iran nuclear deal, pulled out of the agreement in May 2018.

The US leader has on numerous occasions turned a blind eye to statements by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) that confirmed Tehran's compliance with the deal. IAEA Director General Yukiya Amano reiterated the organization's position on Tuesday, once again saying that Iran continued to fully implement its obligations under the accord.