Bam earthquake Death toll about 40,000
The country's President, Muhammad Khatami, estimated the final death toll from the earthquake, centred on the southeastern Iranian city of Bam, would be be closer to 40,000.
However, rescue workers stress that outlying villages in the affected Kerman province have not yet been searched and they fear that whole communities may have been wiped out there.
Rescue workers earlier said that there was no hope of finding any more survivors, and the focus of relief efforts has shifted to helping the estimated 100,000 survivors.
President Khatami also said that US aid to earthquake victims in Iran, while welcome, would not alter the state of relations between the two countries which broke off ties nearly a quarter century ago.
His comments came after the US Secretary of State Colin Powell said in a newspaper interview that Washington was open to restoring a dialogue with Iran after what he said were 'encouraging' moves by the Islamic Republic in recent months.
Iranian television has reported that, so far, 28,000 bodies have been recovered from the debris in and around the decimated city of Bam.
The Interior Ministry official said 80% of Bam's mud-brick buildings had been flattened and that many outlying villages had not yet been fully searched by rescuers.
Aid pledges for disaster zone
Junior Foreign Affairs Minister Tom Kitt has met with Iran's Ambassador to Ireland, His Excellency Mr Seyed Hossein Mirfakhar, to discuss the humanitarian crisis that has followed Friday's earthquake.
Mr Mirfakhar thanked Minister Kitt for the Government's response, and also stated that he was greatly touched by the number of calls of support from Irish people during this very difficult time.
The Government has already pledged €1m in humanitarian aid, to be split evenly between the Red Crescent charity and the United Nations.
Earlier today, six Gulf states pledged over $400m worth of aid for the victims of the earthquake. The announcement came after ministers from Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Bahrain, Qatar, Oman and the United Arab Emirates held an emergency meeting in Riyadh to discuss aid measures.
Meanwhile, the Irish agency, Concern, is to send two Rapid Response Co-ordinators to the city today.
