As cases of coronavirus surge in Iran, the government is now seeking a multibillion-dollar loan from the International Monetary Fund (IMF).
Iran’s Central Bank chief Abdolnaser Hemmati wrote to the IMF requesting $5 billion in emergency funding from its Rapid Financing Instrument, he said on Instagram March 12. Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif said in a tweet that Iran requested the money “immediately” and called on the IMF to “stand on [the] right side of history and act responsibly.”