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Iran suffered a terrible calamity on Friday when an earthquake shattered the ancient city of Bam, killing thousands of people as they slept. Tehran did not hesitate to seek international assistance to cope with the disaster, and the initial response was encouraging. The governments of Belgium, Germany, Greece and Russia were among the first to respond, promising to send a variety of specialized equipment and personnel, as well as dogs trained to locate survivors under mountains of unstable rubble. Many people who live through the collapse of a building during an earthquake die of exposure before they are rescued, so the marshaling of extra resources from abroad is vital. Coordination of search efforts is also crucial, and the United Nations has dispatched a team of experts to help on that front.

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