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Tehran to Mobilize Regional Cooperation to Mitigate Sandstorms

Tehran to Mobilize Regional Cooperation to Mitigate Sandstorms
Tehran to Mobilize Regional Cooperation to Mitigate Sandstorms

The government is entering into dialogue with regional nations following an unusual number of intense sandstorms that have engulfed the Middle East this spring, head of the Department of Environment, Ali Salajegheh, said. 
“This year, the frequency and intensity of dust storms have increased, affecting most areas in the country,” the official was quoted as saying by ISNA. 
Storms of dust and particles hitting the region have closed down schools, universities and places of work and disrupted flights on some days over the past months as the public were instructed to stay indoors and avoid physical activities. 
Noting that most sandstorms striking Iran originate from neighboring Iraq, Salajegheh said that President Ebrahim Raisi had charged his department and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs with starting negotiations with other countries in the region that are currently grappling with the same issue.
Climate experts suggest that most sandstorms occurring in Iran are carried from drought-stricken nations Saudi Arabia, Iraq and Syria.  
“Since Iraq has four main and active sources of dust which affect our country, our first priority was to travel to Iraq,” Salajegheh said, referring to his trip to Baghdad last week to discuss sandstorms with his counterpart and Iraqi Prime Minister Mustafa Al-Kadhimi. 
The official and his delegation then traveled to Syria to discuss the same problem. 
Tehran and Damascus signed an agreement to work together to tackle sandstorms. Iran and Iraq will sign a similar agreement on July 12. 

 

 

Next Destinations 

Salajegheh said that Kuwait and the United Arab Emirates were supposed to be his team’s next destinations but the trips had been postponed. 
“After the Environment Week [which started on Monday], we’ll try to bring Turkey, the UAE and Kuwait to the negotiating table,” he said, adding that they could start implementing measures to improve air quality as early as July, if everything goes according to plan. 
The official stated that climate change was a global problem that required cooperation from every single country in the world. 
International organizations will be involved in the negotiations and the operations to save the Middle East, a key area for the world economy.
Until agreements are signed and maybe long years after, all countries in the region will have to endure the devastating sandstorms.
On Monday morning, head of the national center for forecast and management of crisis in air quality, Sadeq Ziayian, announced that another storm of dust and particles originating from Iraq has arrived in western provinces.
The particles are expected to linger in the air until Wednesday, decreasing visibility as well as air quality. 
 

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