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Iran pleads for medicine as it fights epidemic under sanctions

Iran’s foreign minister has made a public plea for medical supplies and sanctions relief as the country struggles with the coronavirus explosion.

A worker in a protective suit sprays a disinfectant inside the gate of Shalamcha Border Crossing, after Iraq shut a border crossing to travellers between Iraq and Iran, Iraq March 8, 2020. REUTERS/Essam al-Sudani - RC2MFF94758Q
A worker in a protective suit sprays disinfectant inside the gate of the Shalamcha border crossing after Iraq closed the crossing to travelers between Iraq and Iran, Iraq March 8, 2020. — REUTERS/Essam al-Sudani

As Iran struggles to fight the coronavirus outbreak, Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif has made a public plea for sanctions relief and medical supplies.

Zarif tweeted March 12 that the efforts to fight the virus “are stymied by vast shortages caused by restrictions on our people’s access to medicine/equipment.” He went on, “Viruses don’t discriminate. Nor should humankind.” The tweet was accompanied by a picture listing the country’s medical needs, many of them respiratory-assistance devices and basic medical equipment such as gloves and masks.

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