Iran's FM Believes US Seeking Revenge via Coronavirus

Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif censured the US policies during coronavirus pandemic, underlining that the White House is seeking revenge through a human disaster.

News ID: 449850

Date: 01 April 2020 - 13:29

RNA - "The pandemic, which has put human's destiny in danger, requires all-out cooperation, unity and prayers," he wrote in a tweet in Arabic on Tuesday," adding, "In history, no country has witnessed similar behavior to that of the US President and his team, who are abusing the conditions seeking revenge and spread of hatred besides taking advantage of the outbreak to reach their electoral goals."

Zarif has also called sanctions, imposed on Iran by the US amid the coronavirus pandemic, "medical terrorism," in his op-ed for Russia's Kommersant newspaper on Monday.

He highlighted in the article that Iran has a strong healthcare system, but, due to the US’ illegal blocking of Iran’s sources of income, Tehran’s access to medicine and medical equipment becomes impossible.

"This leads to a humanitarian catastrophe. Although Iran is a country that has rich fossil reserves, including oil and gas, it does not have, thanks to the US-imposed sanctions, funding sources, necessary to provide aid to the people who suffered from the coronavirus," Zarif added.

He further wrote, "Anti-Iranian sanctions also prohibit the procurement of drugs and medical equipment by the Iranian government. Restrictions in banking and financial sectors, imposed against Iran, harm humanitarian import. Due to American threats, European medical equipment makers do not trade with Iran and do not sell us medical goods."

The Iranian Minister has noted that the US engages in "economic and medical terrorism" against Iran in various forms.

The coronavirus COVID-19 is affecting approximately all countries and territories around the world. The virus was first reported in the central Chinese city of Wuhan late last year. It has so far killed nearly 38,000 people and infected over 786,000 others globally.

As for Iran, the Iranian health ministry announced on Monday that 3,186 new cases of infection to COVID-19 virus have been identified in the country, adding that 2,757 patients have died so far.

“According to definite diagnostic standards, a sum of 3,186 new cases of infection to COVID-19 virus have been identified in Iran during the past 24 hours, increasing the number of infections to 41, 495,” Health Ministry Spokesman Kianoush Jahanpour said.

He added that fortunately, 13,911 patients infected with COVID-19 virus have also recovered and been discharged from hospital.

Jahanpour said that 117 coronavirus patients have passed away during the past 24 hours, noting that the death toll has increased to 2,757 so far.

The Iranian foreign ministry declared that despite Washington’s claims of cooperation to transfer drugs to Iran via the new Swiss-launched payment mechanism, the US is troubling the process amid the coronavirus outbreak in the country.

Although US claims that medicines and medical equipment are not under sanctions, they have practically blocked the transfer of Iran’s financial resources in other countries into the Swiss Humanitarian Trade Arrangement (SHTA), Iranian Foreign Ministry Spokesman Seyed Abbas Mousavi said.

As the death toll from the virus surges, Iran intensifies its preventive safety measures. Closures of schools and universities have been extended until early April.

The government also imposed travel restrictions, specially on Iran’s North, which is among the red zones. The country has also adopted strict digital health control procedures at airports to spot possible infections.

Health Minister Saeed Namaki announced earlier this month that a new national mobilization plan would be implemented across the country to fight against the coronavirus epidemic and more effectively treat patients.

According to Fars News Agency, Namaki said that the plan will include all the 17,000 health centers and the 9,000 medical and clinical centers in all cities, suburban areas and villages.

He added that the plan will include home quarantine, noting that infected people will receive the necessary medicines and advice, but they are asked to stay at home.

Namaki said that people with a more serious condition will stay at the hospitals, adding that the public places will be disinfected, the entries of infected towns and cities will be controlled to diagnose and quarantine the infected cases.

He added that the necessary equipment and facilities have been provided, expressing the hope that the epidemic would be curbed.

According to the latest statistics of Health Ministry, the number of medical laboratories to test coronavirus infection has reached 90 across the country.

The World Health Organization (WHO) says Iran's response to the virus has so far been up to the mark. Still, it says the US sanctions are a big challenge, and Washington would be complicit in the rising death toll in Iran if it would not remove its sanctions.

The World Health Organization has considered priorities in combating coronavirus and Islamic Republic of Iran obeys and follows up priorities as defined by WHO.

The WHO is dispatching separate delegations to all countries.

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