Rouhani:

Floods in Iran Reveal ‘Dirty Nature’ of US Rulers

TEHRAN (defapress) – Iranian President Hassan Rouhani highlighted the US sanctions’ negative impact on relief efforts made to assist flood-stricken people in the Islamic Republic, saying the floods revealed the “dirty nature” of Washington, which calls itself an advocate of human rights.

News ID: 76878

Date: 17 April 2019 - 21:54

Addressing a cabinet session in Tehran on Wednesday, Rouhani described the floods in Iran as “the worst historical test” for the US rulers and said, they revealed their true natures.

If the Americans were wise and their claims of not opposing the Iranian people were true, they would declare that Washington would suspend the anti-Tehran sanctions due to the floods hitting the people, he added.

However, they not only refused to assist the Iranian nation but prevented the world’s people from sending their assistance to Iran via banks, Rouhani stated.

This move proved the “anti-human and dirty nature” of the US and its rulers, the president went on to say.

Elsewhere in his remarks, Rouhani described the floods as “a divine test”, and said the Iranian people and the administration were “successful” in passing the test.

“The Iranian nation had a huge success in helping each other and the administration stepped up to the plate with all its might,” he added.

“The people made a great deal of assistance in this incident, but there were a few who, in cyberspace, destroyed the morale of the people instead of helping them,” the president said, adding that the elements should be identified.

The remarks came as President Rouhani plans to visit flood-stricken areas in the Western parts of the country.

Speaking to reporters on the sidelines of the cabinet session, the president's Chief of Staff, Mahmoud Vaezi, said Rouhani is going to travel to Lorestan and Khuzestan to deal with the people’s problems in person.

Amid unprecedented torrential rains in northern, western and southwestern Iran that killed at least 77 people, the military forces mobilized efforts to help people trapped in the flood-affected areas and evacuate residents in the regions with an emergency situation.

Record spring rainfall that has battered Iran in the past weeks caused serious flooding in many areas, mainly the provinces of Golestan, Lorestan, Khuzestan, Fars and Ilam, forcing thousands to leave their homes.

While residents in some western areas are still in need of relief aid, the Army Ground Force, the IRGC, and Basij have deployed forces, heavy military machinery, aircraft and boats to the disaster zones.

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