Get 40% Off
🤯 This Tech Portfolio is up 29% YTD! Join Now to Get April’s Top PicksGet The Picks – Just 99 USD

Rouhani: U.S. should lift sanctions if it wants to help Iran fight coronavirus

Published 03/23/2020, 08:02 AM
Updated 03/23/2020, 04:20 AM
© Reuters. Iranian President Hassan Rouhani speaks during a meeting of the Iranian government task force on the coronavirus, in Tehran

© Reuters. Iranian President Hassan Rouhani speaks during a meeting of the Iranian government task force on the coronavirus, in Tehran

By Parisa Hafezi

DUBAI (Reuters) - The United States should lift sanctions if it wants to help Iran to contain the coronavirus outbreak, Iranian President Hassan Rouhani said on Monday, adding that Iran had no intention of accepting Washington's offer of humanitarian assistance.

Iran is the Middle Eastern nation worst hit by coronavirus, with over 1,800 deaths and 23,049 infected people. One person is dying from the virus every 10 minutes, according to the health ministry.

"American leaders are lying ... If they want to help Iran, all they need to do is to lift sanctions .... Then we can deal with the coronavirus outbreak," Rouhani said in a televised speech.

Washington has offered humanitarian assistance to its longtime foe. But the country's top authority Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei on Sunday rejected the offer.

Tension between the two countries has been running high since 2018, when U.S. President Donald Trump exited Tehran’s 2015 nuclear deal with six world powers and reimposed sanctions that have crippled the Iranian economy.

Iranian authorities have blamed U.S. sanctions for hampering its efforts to curb the outbreak and Rouhani has urged Americans to call on their government to lift sanctions as Iran fights the coronavirus.

"U.S. is NOT listening, impeding global fight against #COVID19. The ONLY remedy: DEFY U.S. mass punishment. MORAL & PRAGMATIC imperative," Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif tweeted on Monday.

But the United States has sent Iran a blunt message: the spread of the virus will not save it from U.S. sanctions that are choking off its oil revenues and isolating its economy.

"You have blocked Iran's oil exports, you have stopped Iran's banking transactions ... Your help offer is the biggest lie in the history," Rouhani said.

Although police said millions of people have defied advice to avoid traveling for the Persian new year holidays, Rouhani praised Iranians for avoiding public places during the holidays. Iran's new year started on Friday.

Even those who traveled stayed at homes of their relatives, Rouhani said.

On Sunday, the government ordered shopping centers to close in Tehran, where only pharmacies and shops that provided essential goods remain open.

Iran's Army has been ordered to set up a hospital with 2,000 beds in Tehran "within two days for the treatment of the coronavirus patients", the semi-official Tasnim news agency reported on Monday.

The outbreak has infected a number of senior officials, politicians, clerics, members of the elite Revolutionary Guards and dozens of lawmakers in Iran. At least a dozen of them have died from the coronavirus.

© Reuters. Iranian President Hassan Rouhani speaks during a meeting of the Iranian government task force on the coronavirus, in Tehran

"The lawmakers have been infected because they traveled to their towns and were in close contact with people ahead of the parliamentary election on February 21," Parliament speaker Ali Larijani told state TV.

Latest comments

Risk Disclosure: Trading in financial instruments and/or cryptocurrencies involves high risks including the risk of losing some, or all, of your investment amount, and may not be suitable for all investors. Prices of cryptocurrencies are extremely volatile and may be affected by external factors such as financial, regulatory or political events. Trading on margin increases the financial risks.
Before deciding to trade in financial instrument or cryptocurrencies you should be fully informed of the risks and costs associated with trading the financial markets, carefully consider your investment objectives, level of experience, and risk appetite, and seek professional advice where needed.
Fusion Media would like to remind you that the data contained in this website is not necessarily real-time nor accurate. The data and prices on the website are not necessarily provided by any market or exchange, but may be provided by market makers, and so prices may not be accurate and may differ from the actual price at any given market, meaning prices are indicative and not appropriate for trading purposes. Fusion Media and any provider of the data contained in this website will not accept liability for any loss or damage as a result of your trading, or your reliance on the information contained within this website.
It is prohibited to use, store, reproduce, display, modify, transmit or distribute the data contained in this website without the explicit prior written permission of Fusion Media and/or the data provider. All intellectual property rights are reserved by the providers and/or the exchange providing the data contained in this website.
Fusion Media may be compensated by the advertisers that appear on the website, based on your interaction with the advertisements or advertisers.
© 2007-2024 - Fusion Media Limited. All Rights Reserved.