Speaking on Iranian state TV on Wednesday, Iranian President Hassan Rouhani said that the US ought to have suspended sanctions against Iran for a year because of the humanitarian crisis that severe flooding has caused in the country.
Rouhani said it was “inhumane and filthy” for the US to block cash
support to the Iranian Red Crescent. US sanctions are reported to have prevented considerable international aid to save flood victims.
Estimates are that around 80 people have been killed by the flooding,
which hit the majority of Iranian provinces. The estimate is also that
it did around $2.5 billion in property damage across the country.
It is highly unlikely that the US will make any changes to the
sanctions. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo previously denied that the
sanctions would impact humanitarian aid. US sanctions are intended not
to cover such remittances, but the US is so aggressive and arbitrary
with enforcement that anything remotely Iran related scares banks off
from financing it.
Lifting sanctions would mean that we actually care about human suffering. Don’t hold your breath Iran.