Iran says US sanctions hitting flood relief effort

Iran’s foreign minister said US sanctions imposed on Tehran by the Trump administration last year have hampered rescue efforts for flood-stricken areas of the country where at least 50 people have died so far. Foreign minister Mohammad Javad Zarif tweeted that America’s “maximum pressure” policy on Iran “is impeding aid effort to all communities devastated by unprecedented floods”.

He said the sanctions have prevented Tehran from getting badly needed equipment, including relief helicopters. “This isn’t just economic warfare; it’s economic TERRORISM,” he tweeted.

The floods have struck hundreds of villages as well as towns and cities in the western half of the country, where an emergency situation has been declared.