Sanctions amid pandemic
Iran's Deputy Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi says Washington’s continued sanctions against the Islamic Republic amid the coronavirus pandemic amount to a crime against humanity. Araqchi in a tweet also said that Washington with its economic terrorism keeps trying to inflict suffering and hardship on Iranians. He said former US president Donald Trump is no longer in office, but his illegal and brutal sanctions remain in place. The remarks came as the US has not yet removed the sanctions imposed on Iran by Trump. Washington has even refused to remove sanctions on the import of medical equipment and medicines at a time when Iran, like most other countries, is struck by the COVID-19 pandemic.
US Ukraine military aid
The United States has announced a new package of military assistance for Ukraine. The 150 million-dollar worth of aid includes radar systems, drones and secured communications equipment. The US Defense Department says it is in addition to 125 million dollars in assistance announced in March. According to a Pentagon spokesman, the military shipment is aimed at helping Ukraine preserve its territorial integrity. The US has provided more than two and a half billion dollars in security assistance to Ukraine since 2014. That’s when a conflict flared up in Eastern Ukraine where pro-Russian forces have declared independence. The new aid comes ahead of a meeting between US president Joe Biden and his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin in Switzerland next week.
Islamphobia in Canada
Thousands of people have attended a rally in the Canadian city of London in support of a Muslim family recently killed in a hate-motivated attack. The demonstrators denounced hatred and Islamophobia. Similar rallies were also held in other Canadian cities. On Sunday, four members of a Muslim family were killed after a 20-year-old man rammed them with his pick-up truck. The incident sparked outrage across Canada and politicians called for action against racially-motivated crimes. Prime Minister Justine Trudeau described the killing as a terrorist attack and pledged to clamp down on far-right groups and online hate-mongers. The incident was the worst against Canadian Muslims since 2017 when a gunman opened fire at a mosque and killed six worshippers in Quebec.