US Sanctions on Iran’s Medicine Imports War Crime: MP


TEHRAN (Tasnim) – The spokesman for the Iranian Parliament’s Health and Treatment Commission deplored the Washington government’s measures to block the Islamic Republic’s efforts to contain the new coronavirus and described the US sanctions on Iran’s medicine sector as nothing but a war crime.

Speaking to Tasnim, Akbar Torki decried the US sanctions on Iran’s imports of pharmaceuticals and medical equipment and said, “This measure by the US is tantamount to a war crime and the international community must react to this issue.”

In the current situation caused by the outbreak of the coronavirus, the entire humanity society has been threatened, he said, adding that the virus knows no boundaries or religions and therefore all countries should cooperate to eradicate the infectious disease.

He further described the American statesmen’s moves to hamper the delivery of medical supplies to Iran as a violation of human rights and said, “International courts should prevent these human rights abuses by the US because the medicines and equipment are used to prevent and treat the coronavirus in Iran.”

Spokesman for the Iranian Health Ministry said on Friday that since the outbreak of the coronavirus in the country, 3,529 patients have completely recovered from the infectious disease.

Kianoush Jahanpour said that since Thursday, the total number of coronavirus cases in the country has increased by 1,289, reaching 11,364.

Over the past 24 hours, 85 patients have lost their lives, the spokesman said, adding that the death toll from the new coronavirus epidemic in the country has risen to 514.

Fortunately, so far 3,529 patients infected with the COVID-19 have recovered and have been discharged from hospitals, he said.

Medical staffs in all 31 provinces of Iran have been working tirelessly over the past weeks to contain the novel coronavirus.

First detected in Wuhan city in central China in December, the virus has spread to more than 120 countries.

More than 140,000 have been infected globally, according to the WHO. Of those, over 68,000 have recovered.