Non-Commitment, Sanctions More Dangerous than Coronavirus: Iran
TEHRAN (Tasnim) – The Secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council (SNSC) questioned the sincerity of the US in its offer to help the Islamic Republic to contain the coronavirus epidemic, saying sanctions and non-commitment are more dangerous to international security than COVID-19.
“The virus of sanctions and non-commitment to promises is threatening international security more than the coronavirus,” Ali Shamkhani said on his Twitter account on Saturday.
“The US claim that it is ready to help Iran can only be verified through the country's implementation of its legal obligations under the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA),” he added in his tweet.
Last week, US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said his country had offered Iran assistance in the fight against the coronavirus.
Iranian Foreign Ministry Spokesman Seyed Abbas Mousavi, in a statement last Saturday, dismissed Pompeo’s remarks as hypocritical and deceitful propaganda.
The remarks came as Iran’s administration on Thursday extended the closure of all schools and universities nationwide until the end of the current Iranian year (March 19) as the country is struggling with the outbreak of the novel coronavirus.
Iran’s Health Ministry announced on Saturday that the number of people who have died from the coronavirus in the country has risen to 145 and the total number of confirmed cases to 5,823.
At least 1,669 people have recovered from the disease in the country so far.
