Iran says recent floods caused up to $2.5 billion in damage
The flooding, which began on March 19, has killed 76 people and forced more than 220,000 people into emergency shelters.
People are seen on a boat after a flooding in Golestan province, Iran, March 24, 2019. Picture taken March 24, 2019.(photo credit: TASNIM NEWS AGENCY/HANDOUT VIA REUTERS)ByREUTERSLONDON - Floods caused by heavy rain across Iran in recent weeks have caused an estimated $2.5 billion in damage to roads, bridges, homes and agricultural land, state media cited ministers as telling lawmakers on Sunday.The flooding, which began on March 19, has killed 76 people, forced more than 220,000 people into emergency shelters, and left aid agencies struggling to cope. The armed forces have been deployed to help those affected."The recent floods are unprecedented... 25 provinces and more than 4,400 villages have been affected," Interior Minister Abdolreza Rahmani Fazli was quoted as saying in parliament by state news agency IRNA.Fazli said the floods had caused around 350 trillion rials ($2.5 billion) worth of damage.Minister of Roads and Urban Development Mohammad Eslami said 14,000 kilometres (8,700 miles) of road had been damaged and more than 700 bridges completely destroyed by landslides and flood water.The government has said it will pay compensation to all those who have incurred losses, especially farmers but the Islamic Republic's state budget is already stretched as U.S. sanctions on its energy and banking sectors have halved Iranian oil exports and restricted access to some revenues abroad.Morteza Shahidzadeh, head of Iran's sovereign wealth fund, said President Hassan Rouhani had asked permission from the Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei to withdraw $2 billion from the fund for reconstruction in flood-hit areas.Shahidzadeh said Khamenei has in principle agreed to the request.Iranian officials have repeatedly said the massive floods have not affected production and development at any oilfields, nor impeded the flow of crude through pipelines to recipient markets.Karim Zobeidi, an official at the National Iranian Oil Company, was cited as saying on Sunday that it was still too early to estimate the extent of the flood damage to Iran's energy sector.Mehr news agency also quoted Zobeidi as saying that some oil wells in western Iran had been closed as a precaution to guard against any flooding.See more onflood|disasterRECOMMENDED STORIESHow is Iran still launching missiles at Israel despite Israeli airstrikes?JUNE 16, 2025IDF pummels Tehran with heavy fire, 50 Israeli fighter jets take part in attacksJUNE 15, 2025A volcano ready to blow: Middle East erupts with Israeli strikes on IranJUNE 15, 2025Starlink operating in Iran, Elon Musk says, as Islamic regime shuts internet downJUNE 14, 2025Hot OpinionIf Israel is going to survive war with Iran, its people cannot lose hopeByJPOST EDITORIALAs Iran vows our destruction, Israel unitesByYAIR LAPIDFive takeaways from the bomb shelter: Reflections on the Israel-Iran WarByDAVID BRINNIsrael strikes Iran: Strategic success or start of an uncertain future?BySUSAN HATTIS ROLEF