In an interview with Iran's Al-Alam news network, Jaafari said that more aid shipments were sent to Turkey than to Syria, despite the similar circumstances of the earthquake's impact on both countries.
"The injured need the same help everywhere, and the people affected by the earthquake in southern Turkey and northern Syria are no different. The important thing is that even with regard to humanitarian aid, there is discrimination, not morality," Jaafari said. He also criticized US sanctions, calling them a "serious obstacle" to the flow of aid to Syria and asserting that "those who call themselves advocates of human rights are actually its main enemies."
The US has been imposing sanctions on Syria since 1979. Since the start of the Syrian conflict in 2011, the US and its Western allies have intensified their economic sanctions and restrictions on the country. The Caesar Act, passed in 2019, targeted any individual or business involved in Syria's reconstruction efforts.
Despite calls for the removal of sanctions and the creation of a political opening, the US and its allies have resisted and ruled out direct dealings with the Syrian government in quake relief efforts. The US State Department said aid would be sent to Syria through non-governmental organizations without engaging with the Syrian government.