US stoking health crisis in Iran amid coronavirus outbreak: Iranian embassy in Russia

The United States is deliberately creating a humanitarian crisis situation in Iran by imposing sanctions on the country, stripping its citizens of the necessary medical equipment during the coronavirus epidemic, the Iranian embassy in Moscow says.

"By imposing its sanctions on Iran, the United States is preventing the delivery of the necessary medical equipment to patients infected with the coronavirus," the embassy said in a statement posted on Twitter on Wednesday, Russian Tass news agency reported.

The Iranian embassy described the situation as "a deliberate humanitarian disaster," whose scale is not limited to the Islamic Republic.

"Such actions against Iran, in particular, by the US government, are no longer a legal or economic issue. Any person who prevents another country with a population of more than 80 million people from being able to purchase humanitarian goods, such as medicines and medical equipment, in the international market to combat the coronavirus, violates international law," the diplomatic mission stressed.

On Tuesday, the Russian Foreign Ministry also lashed out at Washington's “inhuman" sanctions against Iran in the middle of its battle against the deadly coronavirus. 

The ministry said in a statement that the US sanctions create a strong barrier for Iran that has been hit heavily by the virus.

Russia urges US to lift anti-Iran measures amid COVID-19 pandemic

Moscow says Washington must lift its restrictive measures against Iran amid its battle against the novel coronavirus.

"Illegal unilateral US sanctions, imposed since May 2018 as part of the ‘maximum pressure’ campaign, are a powerful obstacle to effective fight against the infection,” it said.

“The reason for the many victims, caused by it, lies not only in the disease itself, but also in the fact that the US purposefully hinders the resistance [to the coronavirus],” the statement added.

Also on Tuesday, Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif warned that the American sanctions are “literally” taking lives in Iran in the midst of a fight to rein in the coronavirus outbreak, calling on world states to join “a growing global campaign” to defy the “unlawful” restrictive measures.

Zarif urges world states to join ‘global campaign to disregard’ US bans

Iran’s FM Zarif calls on those following the US lead to join a “growing global campaign” to defy the American bans, which are taking a toll on the Iranian healthcare system amid a coronavirus pandemic.

In a post on his Twitter account, Zarif said Washington’s sanctions have “drained the country’s economic resources” and are impairing its ability to fight the outbreak of the new coronavirus (COVID-19).

President Donald Trump reinstated unilateral US sanctions against Iran after he pulled his country out of a UN-endorsed nuclear deal between Tehran and major world powers in 2018.

Washington then began forcing others to toe its sanctions line. Britain, France, and Germany have stopped their transactions with the Islamic Republic, bowing under the pressure.

In late January, the United States and Switzerland announced the launch of a channel to ship food and medicine to Iran from the Scandinavian country.

The US has claimed that humanitarian supplies, including food and medicine, are exempt from anti-Iran sanctions, but the bans have deterred several foreign banks from doing any business with Tehran.

In contradictory policies , the US on Tuesday announced a new round of sanctions against Iran as part of its so-called "maximum pressure" campaign, a few days after it said that it had formally told Iran of Washington’s willingness to assist in unspecified ways through a message sent via Switzerland, which represents US interests in Tehran.

US imposes fresh sanctions on Iran amid coronavirus outbreak

The United States has announced a new round of sanctions against Iran as part of its "maximum pressure" campaign against the Islamic Republic.

Iran says it does not count on the United States for help in its battle against the coronavirus because it does not trust Washington’s alleged offer of assistance.

Iran says doubts US intentions in offering coronavirus aid

Iran says it does not count on the United States for help in its battle against the coronavirus because it does not trust Washington’s alleged offer of assistance.

Iran's Foreign Ministry spokesman Abbas Mousavi said March 2, "We have had doubts and continue to have doubts about the intentions of Americans. If they had good intentions, they would not have publicized the aid first in the media with propagandist aims."

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