Independent.uk

When promiscuity spreads, earthquakes increase,” Hojatoleslam Kazim Sadeghi said during prayers on Friday, a video of which was later posted on YouTube.

“There is no way other than taking refuge in religion and adapting ourselves to Islamic behavior,” he added.

Sadeghi is a senior cleric who was last year appointed by Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khamenei as a substitute prayer leader in Tehran, a powerful position with Khamenei himself being the official prayer leader.

Iran has suffered greatly from earthquakes, with one in the city of Bam killing tens of thousands in 2003.