President Rouhani Speaks in Earthquake-Stricken Sarpol-e Zahab

Iranian President Hassan Rouhani visited the town of Sarpol-e Zahab, one of the worst hit by the November 12 earthquake, on November 14 and gave a speech in which he asserted that the collapse of recently built buildings “should be investigated.”

Some of the buildings, which were built by government-affiliated programs and “state-owned schemes,” according to a statement from the Office of the President, collapsed or were badly damaged. “The faults and shortcomings in the construction of these buildings should be investigated. And the government will surely follow up on these issues and identify the culprits and introduce them to the people,” said Rouhani.

Rouhani vowed not to forget about the people and rural areas affected by the earthquake: “11,000 rural houses and about 4,500 urban houses were destroyed in this earthquake and we need to build 30,000 new houses.”

See a partial transcript and statement here Credit: Islamic Republic of Iran’s Presidency via Storyful