The Iranian Regime has promised to investigate the poor construction of government housing in Iran that contributed to the death toll during the recent earthquake, but as the old saying goes when you point a finger, there are three pointing back at you.
The 7.3 magnitude quake on the border between Iran and Iraq killed over 530 people, with the majority of deaths attributed to poorly built houses constructed by the Regime as part of the Mehr (kindness) housing project under former President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.
Those apartment blocks collapsed during the November earthquake while privately built buildings in the same area stayed standing; some photos in state media showed rows of apartment blocks with their façades sheared off. These buildings were effectively “coffins for [their] inhabitants” according to Regime critics.
Corruption
Regime’s president Hassan Rouhani promised to “identify the culprits” if it turned out that poor quality building works were responsible for the deaths and that the “government will definitely follow up on these issues and identify the culprits”.
He said: “The faults and shortcomings in the construction of these buildings should be investigated.”
However, given that high levels of corruption in the Iranian Regime drained the money from the building project and forced the companies involved to cut corners it is unlikely that the real culprits will ever face justice. The Regime may choose to scapegoat the CEO of the construction firm but the ones responsible for the dangerous lack of funds will never be brought to trial.
In the aftermath of the quake, Iran News Update reported that the Regime has a habit of selling off building permits, disregarding safety regulations, and taking bribes to look the other way in terms of severe violations.
Poor response
The National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI) accused the Regime of trying to cover up the extent of the earthquake (and therefore dispel other nations from getting involved) by refusing foreign aid, ending the rescue mission within just two days, and sending in the Iranian Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) to suppress the rightful anger of the Iranian people.
Their statement read: “Immediately after the earthquake, Khamenei sent the IRGC Commander Mohammad Ali Jafari and deputy commander of the Basij Ali Fazli to the earthquake areas. Instead of sending aid convoys and deploying forces to help people, the Revolutionary Guards and the repressive forces have sent a column of vehicles of anti-insurgency units and IRGC motorcycles to the area, which sparked outrage and disgust among the people. According to eyewitnesses, the IRGC has played no role in helping the people, and its only mission is to prevent popular protests.”
They encouraged the people of Iran to help one another- as the Regime clearly wouldn’t- by offering shelter, looking for survivors, and caring for the wounded.
The majority of deaths were in Sarpol-e-Zahab, a town that had been destroyed in the Iran-Iraq war and completely rebuilt since.
Source » iran-hrm