Several cars were trapped under the snow in the area which was battling severe weather conditions over the past couple of days, said Tehran Deputy Governor Hassan Karimi.

“Our teams managed to rescue two people trapped under the avalanche, but three others died before we could reach them,” he added.

Severe snowstorm has lashed most of the provinces since Wednesday, with avalanches on the two mountainous Haraz and Firouzkooh roads, the major routes connecting Tehran to the northern Mazandaran Province.

“There are no exact figures on how many people are missing or buried under the snow. But we’re carrying on with the search operations,” said Hossein Ketabdar, director of Iranian Red Crescent Society’s Tehran wing.

Nearly 80 roads across the country have been affected as snow and blizzard continue in 18 provinces and travelers face severe challenges in reaching their destinations, said Morteza Salimi, head of the Relief and Rescue Organization at the Iranian Red Crescent Society, ISNA reported. The IRCS reached out to 9,800 travelers in the area and over 5,320 people trapped by the snow on Firouzkooh and Haraz roads were provided emergency shelter since Thursday night.

Provinces of East and West Azarbaijan, Ardebil, Isfahan, Alborz, Chaharmahal and Bakhtiari, North Khorasan, Khorasan Razavi, Zanjan, Semnan, Qazvin, Kordestan, Kermanshah, Kohkilouyeh-Boyer-Ahmad, Golestan, Gilan, Mazandaran, and Markazi have been under heavy snowfall since February 1 and rescue and relief operations are continuing. The capital Tehran, where heavy snowfall has indeed become an exception in the winters in recent years, was blanketed with snow on Thursday.

While extra traffic police have been deployed to the affected areas and teams dispatched to re-open closed highways, relevant authorities and emergency services have asked people to postpone any unnecessary trips until the weather clears.

“The Islamic Republic of Iran with the backing of the wise participation and support of the great Iranian nation, will respond proportionately and reciprocally to any move that targets the interests of the Iranian people,” the Iranian Foreign Ministry said in a statement on Friday.

It added that Iran’s missile power is only aimed at defensive purposes and meant to carry conventional weapons and would never be used other than in legitimate defense.

The foreign ministry said Iran’s missile program is the undeniable and inalienable right of the Iranian nation according to international law and the United Nations Charter.

The statement added that any foreign interference in this regard is a violation of international law and outside the jurisdiction of any country or organization.

The ministry said the recent US sanctions are also inconsistent with US commitments and at odds with the spirit and text of UN Security Council Resolution 2231.

“Just as in reaction to the Islamophobic move of the US government and the temporary prevention of the entry of Iranians, the issuance of visas was suspended for US citizens within the framework of a special mechanism, in response to the new US measure, the Islamic Republic of Iran will move to impose legal restrictions on a number of American people and entities who are involved in founding and assisting extremist terrorist groups in the region or contributing to the carnage and suppression of defenseless people in the region,” the Foreign Ministry said.

It added that the names of the banned American people and entities would be announced later.

The statement reiterated that the security of the Islamic Republic is not open to any compromise or negotiations, stressing that the naive and injudicious measures of the US government would not prevent Iran from following through with its principled policy of safeguarding peace and security in the region and combating terrorism and extremism.

The ministry also stressed that the Islamic Republic would not allow the ominous realization of the dangerous plots and delusions of the Zionist warmongers and their supporters.

The statement came after the US Treasury Department said on Friday that Washington has imposed sanctions on 13 individuals and 12 entities as part of bids to ratchet up pressure on Iran.

The move against Iran is the first by the US government since President Donald Trump took office on January 20.

A senior US administration said the new sanctions were an “initial step” in response to Iran’s “provocative behavior,” adding Tehran would face more measures if it “does not curb its ballistic missile program and continues support for Houthi militia in Yemen.”

Washington claims that a recent missile test by Iran violated UN Security Council Resolution 2231 that endorsed the 2015 nuclear agreement, known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), reached between the Islamic Republic and the P5+1 group of countries, including the US.

Iranian Defense Minister Brigadier General Hossein Dehqan said on Thursday that Iran’s “successful” recent ballistic missile test had breached the neither deal nor the resolution.

“Iran’s missile tests are not, and have never been, in violation of the JCPOA or Resolution 2231,” Dehqan added.

Joharchi died on Friday after being hospitalized for an acute liver condition.

Born on July 28, 1968 in Tehran, Joharchi obtained a BA in photography from the University of Tehran.

He started his career by playing in the movie Elephant in the Darkness in 1988 and became famous later for playing in a TV series called Under Your Aegis in 1994.

The chancellor of Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Ali Jafarian, told IRNA that Joharchi had developed an end-stage liver disease and had been recommended to undergo a transplant, “but he had not taken the advice seriously.”

He added that preparations had even been made for the transplant but the artist had refused to go to hospital.

“When he was taken to hospital in a bad condition and hospitalized, there had been an infection and a transplant was not possible,” Jafarian said.

Joharchi’s funeral procession will be held in Tehran on Sunday.