[2] Iran lies within the complex zone of continental collision between the Arabian Plate and the Eurasian Plate, which extends from the Bitlis-Zagros belt in the south to the Greater Caucasus Mountains, the Absheron-Balkan Sill and the Kopet Dag mountains in the north.

[6] This same setting caused a magnitude 6.4 earthquake in August 2012, killing at least 38 and injured more than 3,200, 268 of which died later in hospitals.

[9] Six cities and 145 villages with a combined population of 121,307 were affected by the earthquake, out of which thirty were completely destroyed.

[10] The most affected areas in East Azerbaijan Province were the towns of Miyaneh and Sarab.

[11][13] 3,091 tents, over 3,000 food parcels, 3,521 blankets, 4,595 bottles of water, 440 kitchen sets and 350 pieces of bread were sent to displaced victims of the earthquake.