TEHRAN- Hossein Amir Abdollahian, the Foreign Minister of Iran, on Monday reassured his Turkish and Syrian counterparts that Iran will support the two Muslim countries following a horrific earthquake that has claimed thousands of lives.

The senior diplomat expressed sympathy to the government and people of Syria over the devastating earthquake in a phone call with Syrian Foreign Minister Faisal Mekdad.

He declared that Iran is prepared to provide humanitarian aid to Syria.

In a separate phone call with Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu, Amir Abdollahian underlined that “Iran stands with the Turkish people and government in this challenging moment.”

He went on to say, “Based on the directives by the esteemed president, the Red Crescent Society of the Islamic Republic of Iran is ready for full cooperation with you and for delivery of the required assistance.”

“Accordingly, tonight, a medical and rescue team of the Red Crescent Society of Iran arrives in Turkey to offer help in the process of rescuing the injured in the quake-hit areas,” the Iranian foreign minister added.

“In addition to the dear people of Turkey, we are also concerned about the situation of Iranians and students living in the quake-hit areas and would like to thank your assistance in helping their situation,” Amir Abdollahian noted.

In the early hours of Monday an earthquake with a magnitude of 7.8 hit Turkey and Syria.

As of Tuesday, the death toll had exceeded 5,000. The World Health Organization has warned the toll may rise dramatically as rescuers find more victims.