A Syrian man cries as he sits on the rubble of a collapsed building in the town of Jindayris on February 7, 2023, after a deadly quake. The Syrian Red Crescent appealed to Western countries to lift sanctions and provide aid after a powerful earthquake killed more than 1,600 people in the country. PHOTO AFP TEHRAN - The Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman called for different countries to pressure the United States into lifting the sanctions on Syria and the siege of the country to allow the delivery of international aid to the quake-hit Syrian regions.
Nasser Kanaani made comments in an exclusive interview with the semi-official Mehr news agency on Monday. Parts of which were released on Tuesday.
Kanaani expressed sympathy for the Turkish and Syrian governments and peoples, and said that the related Iranian authorities have expressed readiness for sending rescue and medical aid to the two countries.
For more than the past nine years, Syria has been grappling with conflict and is under special circumstances at the moment, said the spokesman, calling on other countries to force the United States into lifting the siege of the Arab state so that humanitarian aid can be delivered without any obstacle to the quake-stricken people.
The United States has imposed economic sanctions against Syria, which makes it a herculean task to send essential goods and international humanitarian aid to the country.
Around 5,000 people were killed and tens of thousands injured on Tuesday afternoon after strong earthquakes jolted parts of T rkiye and neighboring Syria.