Giving Aid To The Enemy

After a calamitous earthquake in Iran, U.S. relief workers receive a (mostly) warm reception

The 84 members of the U.S. relief team stationed inside the devastated Iranian city of Bam had not come to party. They were trained to tread lightly in an officially hostile land. And their mission, to aid survivors of Bam's cataclysmic Dec. 26 earthquake, did not incline them to celebration, even if it was New Year's Eve. Thus they were moved when a band of Iranian medics showed up at midnight last Wednesday bearing candies and pastries. A few miles from the scene of some 30,000 deaths, in sight of quarters decorated with large U.S. flags, the groups traded salutations for...

Want the full story?

Subscribe Now

Subscribe
Subscribe

Learn more about the benefits of being a TIME subscriber

If you are already a subscriber sign up — registration is free!