PM Khan Urges US to Halt Sanctions on Coronavirus-Hit Iran

As of Saturday evening, there were 20,610 confirmed cases of coronavirus in Iran according to CSSE — 7635 have recovered and reported deaths figure is 1556 (7.55% fatality rate)

DESPARDES — Prime Minister Imran Khan has called on the US to lift “unjust” sanctions on Iran so its western neighbor can focus on winning the battle against the coronavirus pandemic. 

“I would stress and insist to the international community to lift the sanctions on Iran,” Khan said at a press conference on Friday regarding the coronavirus outbreak.

“It is very unjust they are dealing with such a large outbreak on one side, and on the other they are facing international sanctions,” Khan told reporters in Islamabad.

Aisha Farooqui, a spokesperson for Pakistan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, told a foreign media that Iranian President Hassan Rouhani had earlier sent a letter to Khan requesting Islamabad’s help amid the coronavirus outbreak.

This week Washington issued fresh sanctions against Iran, arguing that they did not limit the flow of aid to the country in its time of need.

Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif tweeted on Friday that the US policy towards the Islamic Republic would live in “infamy” and that his country “won’t break”.