U.S. Eases Restrictions on Iran Aid

WASHINGTON —  The Bush administration eased restrictions Wednesday on assistance to Iran in response to the country’s earthquake.

“Getting aid to those so greatly affected by this devastating earthquake is a top priority,” Treasury Secretary John W. Snow said.

The goal, Snow said, is to speed up the process of helping Iranians.

Licenses are being issued to allow U.S. firms and individuals to transfer funds to Iran, the Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign Assets Control said.

Also, the export of transportation equipment, satellite telephones and radio and personal computing systems usually off limits to Iran will be permitted to help manage relief efforts, State Department spokesman Adam Ereli said.

A 90-day period, which began Saturday, has been set to allow Americans to donate funds to private organizations for use in relief and reconstruction efforts, the Treasury office said.

Iranians listed by the U.S. government as suspected financiers of terrorism will remain barred from receiving funds.

It is illegal to transfer funds to Iran because of sanctions on Tehran dating to 1979. As a result, individual licenses for exceptions to the rule are required, and getting them can be a time-consuming process, a senior U.S. official said Wednesday.