Rouhani Assures Iranians of Sufficient Supply of COVID-19 Vaccine
TEHRAN (Tasnim) – President Hassan Rouhani said Iran is on par with other countries in combating the coronavirus pandemic, giving an assurance that his administration has made arrangements to obtain reliable vaccines from abroad and develop a homegrown vaccine for the disease as well.
Speaking at a weekly cabinet session on Wednesday, Rouhani dismissed concerns about developing the coronavirus vaccine inside Iran and purchasing a foreign vaccine.
“We have gone ahead on par with the world and been even better than some countries in the fight against the virus,” he added.
The president also assured people of Iran that the Central Bank and the Health Ministry have been doing their utmost and made arrangements to provide the society with a reliable foreign vaccine and develop a homegrown one.
He noted that Iran’s healthcare capabilities, including the number of hospital and ICU beds, have doubled during his tenure and reached an all-time high.
In comments earlier this month, the Governor of the Central Bank of Iran said Tehran has tried to purchase COVID-19 vaccine from other countries, but the US sanctions have prevented financial transactions for the sale.
Abdolnasser Hemmati said while the purchases of the coronavirus vaccine should be made officially through the WHO, Iran has faced obstacles in every single way that it has tried to make payments and transfer currency for the purchase of vaccine “because of the US government’s inhumane sanctions and the need for permission from OFAC”, the Office of Foreign Assets Control of the US Treasury Department.