Iran offers US aid after Sandy

Iran would like to send aid workers to the United States to help out with the rescue efforts on the east coast, Iran's Red Crescent Organization said on Wednesday.

According to the New York Times, the head of the organization, Mahmud Mozaffar told the semiofficial Fars News Agency in Iran that they were "ready to help the flood stricken people of America." His men are on standby, ready to board planes as soon as the United States accepts their offer.

Iran's response to Sandy could be a response to US offers of aid after Iran was ravaged by two earthquakes last August that killed nearly 300 people and injured about 5,000.

Iran's Red Crescent Organization, which routinely deals with both floods and earthquakes, has experience in providing immediate disaster assistance. However, according to The New York Times, documents released on WikiLeaks show that the US believes that members of the organization, which is closely tied to the government, are used as spies when helping in other countries.

However, according to a representative from the State Department, “We have seen reports in the media, but at this time have received no official offer of assistance from the Iranian government or any Iranian entity.”

Iran isn't the country that has offered aid after Sandy wreaked destruction in the US. In Pakistan, Hafiz Saeed, a terror suspect with $10 million bounty on his head, has offered his support and resources to the US.

North American deaths from Superstorm Sandy reached 76 on Thursday as deaths reported in New York City jumped substantially as rescue workers combed through the wreckage.