UN Chief Offers Condolences to Iran after Powerful Quake
TEHRAN (Tasnim) – UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres offered his condolences to the government and people of Iran after a major earthquake hit the country’s western border, leaving more than 320 people dead.
“The Secretary-General is deeply saddened by the loss of life and damage following the earthquake that struck the border region of the Islamic Republic of Iran and the Republic of Iraq on Sunday evening,” according to a statement by the UN.
“He conveys his condolences to the bereaved families and to the Governments and people of the Islamic Republic of Iran and the Republic of Iraq. He wishes those injured a speedy recovery,” it added.
The United Nations stands ready to assist if required, the statement added.
As on Monday morning, the death toll in Iran has surpassed 328, while more than 3,950 have been injured.
In a separate message on Monday morning, Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyed Ali Khamenei ordered all Iranian officials to rush to help the large number of people affected by the earthquake, and particularly rescue those trapped under rubble in the very first hours after the disaster.
The center of the temblor measuring 7.3 on the Richter scale was near Halabjah, southeast of Iraq’s Sulaymaniyah.