Sanctions against Iran amid COVID-19 Crisis ‘Cynical’: Russia's Medvedev
TEHRAN (Tasnim) – Deputy Chairman of the Security Council of Russia Dmitry Medvedev described as "cynical" the sanctions imposed by Western countries against nations like Iran, Venezuela, and Cuba amid the COVID-19 crisis.
"Some states that found themselves in a difficult situation, such as Venezuela, Iran, Cuba, were unable to receive sufficient assistance at first because of the sanctions imposed on them. Such a practice can only be condemned. Restrictions during the period of the pandemic that swept the whole world look absolutely cynical," Medvedev said at the international inter-party forum of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization SCO+, Russian media reported.
Russian President Vladimir Putin made a similar statement on Thursday during the Valdai Discussion Club, criticizing the Western sanctions against struggling economies.
Iran announced Friday that its death toll from the coronavirus had surpassed 31,900.
Health ministry spokeswoman Sima Sadat Lari told state TV that 6,134 new cases had been identified in the previous 24 hours, bringing the country’s total number of identified cases to 556,891.