Speaking on Wednesday at the closing ceremony of the 17th National Olympiad of Medical Students in Tehran, he spoke about a study published in The Lancet about sanctions in 150 countries between 1971 and 2021.
The minister said sanctions result in about 564,000 deaths each year, largely due to shortages of food and medicine.
The health minister also pointed to challenges such as population decline and air pollution. According to him, around 50,000 Iranians die annually from air pollution, while 700,000 children worldwide lose their lives for the same reason.
He called on universities and students to focus on solutions.