Iran blames Western policies for Somali crisis

An Iranian official says the excessive use of natural resources by Western countries has led to the drought and famine in Somalia, Iranian news agency Press TV reports.

Iran's Minister of Economic Affairs and Finance Shamseddin Hosseini made the remark on Wednesday after an emergency meeting of the Organization of the Islamic Cooperation on famine-stricken Somalia in Istanbul, Turkey.

Hosseini attended the summit on behalf of Iran's Foreign Minister Ali Akbar Salehi who was on an official visit to Russia.