Diplomacy Crucial to Solving Sandstorms Problem

Vice President and head of the Department of Environment Ali Salajegheh pointed out on Friday that the scourge of heavy sandstorms striking Iran this spring was affecting the entire region and a diplomatic solution was required.
“This is not only related and limited to us, many countries have faced this issue,” Salajegheh was quoted as saying by IRNA.
The official noted that since collective action was essential at this stage, Iran naturally could not act alone. 
The Middle East has been a hot spot of unprecedented and heavy sandstorms over this spring as drought and arid lands turned into new sources of dust and particles, which are then carried by high-speed winds to different areas in the region. 
Salajegheh referred to his last week’s trips to Baghdad and Damascus and expressed hope that his approaching visits to Kuwait, the United Arab Emirates and Turkey would also prove fruitful. 
President Ebrahim Raisi tasked the DoE with coordinating with other nations grappling with the same issue to work out a practical solution and prevent the exacerbation of air pollution. 
To this end, the DoE held a conference with the attendance of ambassadors from 15 countries on the topic of environmental diplomacy on June 6.
“It had great results. We’ll have another meeting with ministers of environment on July 12 on climate change, dust and water,” Salajegheh said. 
To protect the public, the government closed down schools, universities and offices on days with high concentrations of particles in the air. 
The sandstorms cut visibility and disrupted flights in areas hit the hardest by the dust and sent sensitive groups to emergency rooms complaining of respiratory problems. 
Iran is signing agreements with regional nations to tackle the problem of dust storms as a united front.