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Iran faces major challenges due to US sanctions, says president

May 6, 2020 at 9:50 am

Iranian President Hassan Rouhani in Tehran, Iran on 21 March 2020 [Presidency of Iran/Anadolu Agency]

Iran is facing “many great problems” with securing medical equipment and food supplies due to “tightening US sanctions”, President Hassan Rouhani announced yesterday.

Speaking to Japanese Prime Minister, Shinzo Abe, Rouhani outlined the “harsh economic repercussions of US sanction on Tehran”, adding that the situation was “worsening” amid the coronavirus outbreak the Islamic Republic is experiencing.

“If the Americans are honest and want to help against the coronavirus, the only way to do so is by lifting the illegal sanctions on Iran,” he said.

Washington, Rouhani added, “has always been the first to raise regional tensions in the Gulf, most recently in Iraq.”

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On his part, Abe said that the sanctions were “not in the right direction with the current global crisis.”

During the call, the two leaders also discussed regional security issues, stressing the importance of “exchanging experiences in the medical field amid coronavirus.”

Believing that the Islamic Republic funds terrorism, the White House recently refused to ease sanctions against Iran and opposed Tehran’s request for a $5 billion loan from the International Monetary Fund (IMF).

Early last month, President Donald Trump’s administration blocked Iran’s request for a $5 billion emergency loan from the International Monetary Fund (IMF) to fund its fight against the coronavirus, in what appears to be an attempt to push the Islamic Republic to the brink of collapse.

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