More than a week after Iran suffered two earthquakes in its northwestern province of Azerbaijan, the US Treasury Department has issued a “temporary general license” that will permit American non-governmental organizations to send up to $300,000 to Iran for humanitarian relief and reconstruction over the next 45 days.
The Obama administration took the action after complaints from Iranian Americans and others that US banks were reluctant to process such transactions despite the fact that the US regulations exempt humanitarian items from sanctions. The Treasury Department announced last week (Aug. 14) that it would expedite authorization for Americans seeking to help Iranian quake victims, but the announcement didn’t do much good, Iranian Americans say.
