The original content of Democracy Now! Headlines appears under the Creative Commons BY-NC-ND 3.0 License (United States). For more, including their other shows and media, visit www.democracynow.org. August 22, 2012 U.S. Eases Sanctions to Allow Iran Earthquake Aid -------------------------------------------------- The Obama administration has announced it will temporarily lift sanctions for U.S.-based groups that want to send financial aid for the earthquake relief effort in Iran. More than 300 people were killed and thousands more wounded when the earthquakes struck northwest Iran earlier this month. Iranian-American groups had warned that harsh U.S. sanctions on Iran would greatly hinder international donations for victims. On Tuesday, the Treasury Department issued an order saying it will allow U.S.-based groups to donate money to Iran until early October.