WASHINGTON, Dec. 30 (UPI) -- In the United States and around the world, individuals and groups are rushing to contribute monetary and other much needed aid to the stricken Iranian city of Bam, with the region's devastation acting as a thaw to previously cold diplomatic relations.
Since the Iranian revolution of 1978 and Iran's invectives against the United States as being "the Great Satan" to the recent comments of President George W.Bush calling Iran part of a worldwide "axis of evil," relations between Washington and Tehran have been at best strained.
Friday's destructive earthquake, which is estimated to have taken the lives of over 20,000 persons in Bam, has triggered a huge international outpouring of goodwill and aid. Assistance has ranged from 600 tents and 10,000 blankets being sent by Britain's Save the Children organization, to a vast coordinated effort on the part of the International Red Cross and the Red Crescent Society. Regionally, six neighboring Gulf states have provided relief by pledging over $400 million.
Shortly after the scope of the destruction became evident, the United States was granted permission Monday to fly directly into Iran for relief efforts. U.S. military flights have been begun steadily arriving in the region, the first American flights of any kind to land in Iran in two decades.
Deputy Secretary of State Richard Armitage spoke to the Iran's U.N. envoy Monday morning and offered to help, said the department's deputy spokesman Adam Ereli.
Armitage, he said, told the Iranians that this was "a humanitarian tragedy that transcended political considerations and called for the support of the United States."
"We were offering that support to deal with the tragedy of the earthquake," the State spokesman quoted the deputy secretary as telling the Iranians.
On the issue of a diplomatic thaw, Rashid Khalikov, a U.N. official, praised Iran's quick call for help and opening of its borders. "They immediately opened up their airports for foreign flights, opened their consulates all over the world to issue visas for aid workers as fast as they could and have often waived them," Khalikov said at a Monday news conference in Geneva.
U.S. Secretary of State Colin L. Powell said in interview with the Washington Post, "There are things happening, and therefore we should keep open the possibility of a dialogue at an appropriate point in the future."
After the massive earthquake struck Iran's southeastern Kerman Province on Dec. 26, the efforts of relief teams have turned from looking for survivors during the first chaotic days to now focusing on helping the thousands left homeless in the devastated ancient city of Bam.
"The immediate priorities are shelter and water. We also need to guarantee the health of this vulnerable population," said Martin Zak, who is coordinating the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies operation for Bam.
"The Iranian Red Crescent was the first humanitarian actor on the scene. And, as part of the community, it will remain. The various components of the Red Cross and Red Crescent family have shown a tremendous solidarity and commitment to offer assistance to the population of Bam not just in the coming days, but also during the recovery and rehabilitation phases," Zak added.
Since the earthquake struck, some 50 Iranian Red Crescent relief teams consisting of 500 relief workers and rescuers from the affected area as well as from neighboring provinces, such as Zahedan, Bandar Abbas and Yazd, have been dispatched to the region.
By two days after the earthquake, more than 1,350 relief workers had been deployed to the area from abroad. More than 5,000 relief tents, 3,000 blankets, 536 cans of food, 580 kitchen sets, 9,000 heaters, 4,473 cartons of bread, 10 tons of sugar and 3 water tanks were immediately sent to the stricken area by Iranian Red Crescent trucks, according to a statement from the Red Cross.
As temperatures dip near freezing, residents have huddled with donated blankets in donated tents. With no power, fuel or water in the city, people were being given bread to eat, the Red Cross said.
The earthquake is reported to have measured between 6.3 and 6.7 on the Richter scale, according to the U.S. Geological Survey and Iranian sources, and powerful aftershocks continue to shake the region. The epicenter of the earthquake was in the Jamoriyan region, near the ancient city of Bam, about 115 miles (185 km) southeast of Kerman (the capital city of Kerman Province) and 610 miles (975 km) southeast of Tehran.
Preliminary estimates of casualties and the number of injured and affected continue to fluctuate. While there is not yet an official estimate of the number of dead, reports from government sources and media outlets range as high as 50,000 people killed, the Red Cross said.
The U.S. Red Cross is accepting monetary donations for Iran earthquake relief, in lieu of contributions of goods. Spokeswoman Jacki Flowers said "the outpouring of support has been great."
(Reported with Anwar Iqbal in Washington.)
