Leader Makes Recommendations for Handling of Iran Flood Crisis

On April 12, Ayatollah Khamenei sent a letter in response to Iranian President Hassan Rouhani’s demand for emergency credits from the National Development Fund to compensate for the damages caused by the recent floods in Iran.

In the message, the Leader set conditions for withdrawing money from the National Development Fund for flood and also listed the measures necessary for crisis management and better relief efforts.

Describing the National Development Fund as the last-resort option, Ayatollah Khamenei called on the administration to supply the necessary funds for flood management first through other legal channels, such as the legal budget for contingencies or the finances provided by insurers and banks.

The Leader noted that he will permit the administration to make a withdrawal from the National Development Fund only if the other approaches do not work.

Ayatollah Khamenei further made recommendations for better handling of the situation in flood-hit areas, calling for a unified command body for integrated management of the crisis.

The Leader also urged the establishment of a comprehensive database including details of the damages caused by the flooding, and emphasized that the needs of people affected by the floods, particularly farmers, must be immediately fulfilled.

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.

According to the latest toll published on Sunday, 76 people have been killed in the disaster.