U.S. Permits Nonprofits to Aid Iran Quake Victims

The federal government issued temporary general licenses Tuesday allowing aid organizations to put Americans’ donations toward helping earthquake victims in northwest Iran, The Wall Street Journal and McClatchy Newspapers report.

The 45-day licenses allow charities to transfer up to $300,000 to Iran for humanitarian aid and reconstruction in areas hit by the Aug. 11 temblors, which killed more than 300 people and left 50,000 homeless. Groups wishing to send more than $300,000 must apply for specific permission, the U.S. Treasury Department said.

Some aid organizations had sought expedited permission and clarity from federal officials on supporting relief efforts in Iran, which is subject to strict U.S. economic sanctions over its disputed nuclear program.

In Iran, young people angered by widespread claims that the country’s official relief agencies are not doing enough for quake victims are organizing spontaneous charity efforts and delivering aid themselves to remote villages, writes The New York Times.

The private, small-scale aid efforts, organized via phone, text message, and social media, are unusual in Iran, where the state is heavily involved in all layers of society, according to the Times. Organizers are bypassing official requests that donations for quake victims be handed over to the government-aligned Iranian Red Crescent Society.