Iran Blames Growing COVID-19 Toll on ‘Criminal US’

In remarks on Wednesday, Namaki said “the criminal US” which has imposed the worst, the cruelest, and the most unfair sanctions on Iran is to blame for the worsening situation in the wake of the novel coronavirus outbreak.

He also warned that escalation of economic woes and loss of livelihoods under the pressure of poverty caused by the COVID-19 outbreak could result in insurrection.

“This country’s president must think about the people’s livelihood. This country’s administration, the security forces, the law enforcement and the military forces must think about the livelihood and prevention of formation of insurrection,” he added.

The health minister then pointed to the coronavirus stimulus packages in the other countries, saying while the UK government, for example, has provided even the foreign students with a sum of 20,000 pounds to deal with the coronavirus problems, Iran does not have sufficient financial resources to support the businesses affected by the pandemic.

Namaki finally noted that the Health Ministry was obligated to stop opposing the reopening of businesses when the government is unable to provide financial support for a booth owner, a taxi driver, or a shopkeeper.

Iran’s Health Ministry spokeswoman said on Wednesday that 153 patients have died of the novel coronavirus in the past 24 hours, increasing the overall death toll to 12,084.

Iranian President Hassan Rouhani has repeatedly announced that his administration is engaged in a battle on two fronts at the same time, dealing with the cruel foreign sanctions and addressing the coronavirus and its economic consequences.