Iranian President Hassan Rouhani travelled to the southwestern province of Khuzestan on Thursday to address the woes that paralyzed the energy-rich province last week in the wake of flooding and dust storm. The trip comes a few days after Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyed Ali Khamenei deplored the “heartrending” problems of Khuzestan, calling on officials to devise plans and mobilize efforts to find a decisive solution to the problems that have afflicted the province, including flooding, dust pollution and blackouts. “The officials are duty-bound to address these problems; and if somebody cares about the people, they could not be indifferent to Khuzestan’s hardships; and it is a certain, immediate and permanent duty of governments to care about people”, the Leader said on Monday. The disruptive dust storms push pollution in those border areas to alarming levels, raising health concerns.
