Addressing employees at the Defense Ministry in Tehran on Sunday, Brig. Gen. Hatami blasted the administration of US President Donald Trump for seeking to hinder shipments of relief supplies to the Iranian regions devastated by unprecedented floods.

“They (the Americans) once again demonstrated their malevolence and the depth of their enmity toward the great nation of the Islamic Iran,” he said. “They proved that — contrary to their media propaganda — they are not just opposed to the Islamic establishment but [are prepared to] inhibit the delivery of the most basic data-x-items needed to save the lives of flood-stricken people.”

According to the latest death tally provided by the Iranian Red Crescent Society (IRCS), 70 people have died in the flash floods that affected 1,889 cities, villages, and mountainous roads in 31 provinces of Iran over the past weeks.

Iran’s Army, the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC), voluntary groups, and locals have all mobilized to provide relief aid to the flood-hit areas.

Iran says the US has frozen the bank accounts of the IRCS as part of its unilateral sanctions against the Iranian people, making it almost impossible for foreign aid to reach the flood victims.