Tehran, Sept 4, IRNA � United Nations Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator Stephen O'Brien on Sunday hailed Iran for 'historical hosting' of three million refugees.

He made the remarks in a meeting in Tehran with Interior Minister Abdolreza Rahmani Fazli.

O'Brien, in the meantime, regretted three deaths in the course of flood disaster northern Iran.

He expressed pleasure with the good relations between the United Nations and Iran's Crisis Management Organization, saying the Interior Ministry plays a key role in this regard.

The interior minister underlined the role of the United Nations in tackling natural disasters, saying the crisis of dust particles in the region requires both regional and international cooperation.

Rahmani Fazli said that the crisis of dust particles is difficult to deal with because of the shortage of rainfalls and drought in the region and failure to take precautionary measures by the countries which are the origin of the dust particles because of lack of security they are grappling with.

Rahmani Fazli said that three million Afghan refugees are living in Iran, and that the assistance provided by the UN refugee agency does not cover even two percent of the costs Iran pays for hosting the refugees.

By IRNA