A Swedish pharmaceutical company keeps halting the supply of special bandages needed to treat Iranian patients suffering from a special skin condition as it continues to comply with American sanctions on Iran, according to the Iranian ambassador to Sweden.
Ahmad Ma’soumifar said on Monday that Iranian children who have epidermolysis bullosa, or EB, a type of disease that causes fragile, blistering skin, have been through endless pain or have died because they have no access to the bandages needed to treat their genetic condition.
“Is this not a blatant violation of the rights of children and a crime against humanity?” wrote Ma’soumifar on his Twitter page.
The ambassador did not elaborate on the name of the Swedish company. However, previous reports and statements by Iranian officials suggest it is Mölnlycke, an internationally active supplier of medical devices with trade interests in the United States.
The company stopped supplying EB bandages to Iranian patients after the United States pulled out of an international deal on Iran’s nuclear program and imposed sanctions on the country in 2018.
Washington has insisted that sanctions on Iran do not affect the trade of humanitarian items and food. However, strict bans on banking transactions involving Iran have made it impossible for the country to access critically needed medicine and medical equipment over the past four years.
Iranian authorities say US has been bullying companies in Europe and other parts of the world to make them stop trading with Iran.
The issue became more acute during the spread of the coroanvirus in Iran in 2020 when the country was forced to delay a nationwide vaccination program against the disease because sanctions made it impossible to pay for vaccine supplies ordered from other countries.