Iran is a seismically active zone, lying between the converging Eurasian and Arabian plates.

[4] Buin Zahra County lies within a zone of active thrust faults, complemented by folds, that extends south from the Alborz mountains.

Iranian geologist Manuel Berberian's research indicates that the Ipak Fault is at least as old as the Carboniferous period, and has probably been reactivated several times since its formation.

[11] Iranian wrestling star Gholamreza Takhti gathered blankets, money, and food for victims and transported them by trucks.

Their teams were however blocked by Iranian National Guard members who had been commanded to kill any civilians who tried to help victims; writer Marcello di Cintio cites in Poets and Pahlevans: A Journey into the Heart of Iran that the "Shah was not about to let a crowd of students draw attention to his inept relief efforts".

[13] Since roughly 90 percent of Iran lies within seismically active land, the threat from earthquakes is high.

In a 2004 report by ScienceDaily, it was listed as "the worst offender" globally for poor earthquake engineering.

If the population of Iran had a choice between spending oil revenues on munitions or houses that won't kill them, I suspect they would choose a safe home.

"[15] A Common Country Assessment by The United Nations for Iran has similar results, stating that, "While adequate building regulations exist for large cities, it is generally believed that they are not rigorously adhered to... most of those who have suffered in recent major earthquakes have lived in small towns and villages.