US Says Iran Sanctions Not to Be Lifted despite COVID-19 Pandemic
TEHRAN (Tasnim) – US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said Washington has no plans to lift its sanctions against Iran despite the outbreak of the deadly coronavirus in the country.
“Iran will remain under sanctions and Tehran must change its behavior and the Iranian people must understand the importance of taking this step in order to change their system,” Pompeo said during a news conference on Tuesday.
He once again raised baseless allegations against Tehran and accused Iran of seeking to develop nuclear weapons in spite of repeated confirmation by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) that Iran is involved in no activity to make an atomic bomb.
Iran — the worst-hit state by the coronavirus spread in the Middle East — has been doing its utmost to contain the respiratory disease despite the hardships created by US sanctions.
Iran’s Health Ministry spokesman announced on Tuesday that more than 27,000 coronavirus patients have recovered from the disease so far and have left the hospital.
Kianoosh Jahanpoor said the number of people tested positive for COVID-19 across the country has reached 62,589 following the detection of 2,089 new cases since Monday.