Iran Successful in Fight against COVID-19 despite Sanctions: FM

“Despite US sanctions, Iran has made significant progress in fighting the pandemic, thanks to its human & scientific resources, and friends abroad,” said Mohammad Javad Zarif in a tweet.

He further said the coronavirus pandemic was an opportunity for the United States to give up its habit of imposing sanctions, but it missed it.

“Covid19 was opportunity for US to kick its addiction to sanctions. Instead, it will now live in infamy in the memory of our people,” he added.

Iranian officials have, on numerous occasions, lambasted Washington for its hostile approach of maintaining illegal sanctions on the Islamic Republic.

Zarif himself had called on the international community to react and break its silence in the face of Washington’s economic and medical terrorism.

“Donald Trump intensifies the United States’ illegal sanctions in a hostile manner in order to deplete the resources Iran needs in the fight against the COVID-19 virus; this comes at a time when our citizens are dying due to the virus. The world can no longer remain tight-lipped in the face of the United States’ economic terrorism which is associated with medical terrorism,” Zarif had said.

This comes as the US claims to be willing to help Iran while it refuses to lift sanctions.
“If we can help the Iranians with this problem, we are certainly willing to do so… All they have to do is ask. We will have great professionals over there,” Trump said in a speech recently.

Trump’s remarks were met with critical reactions from Iranian officials.

“Those who even kept medicines and foodstuffs from reaching [Iranian] people and imposed sanctions on them and committed the most evil acts against the Iranian nation over the past two years unfortunately came forward disguised in a mask of sympathy and claimed to want to help the Iranian people,” said Iranian President Hassan Rouhani.

“If you are honest, at least lift the sanctions; that would be the first step,” Rouhani added.