COVID-19 pandemic intensifies Iran sanctions debate
Iran hawks are doubling down on sanctions amid the COVID-19 pandemic, and Democrats can’t agree on how much relief the United States should give Iran.
![HEALTH-CORONAVIRUS/IRAN-QOM A man wearing a protective face mask, following the outbreak of coronavirus disease (COVID-19), sits at a bus stop in Qom, Iran March 24, 2020. Picture taken March 24, 2020. WANA (West Asia News Agency) via REUTERS ATTENTION EDITORS - THIS PICTURE WAS PROVIDED BY A THIRD PARTY - RC2BWF9JVDZM](/sites/default/files/styles/article_hero_medium/public/almpics/2020/04/RTS37WR6.jpg/RTS37WR6.jpg?h=a5ae579a&itok=7sHeSV-2)
The global COVID-19 pandemic has added a new sense of urgency to the political debate over whether — and to what extent — the United States should lift sanctions on Iran as it struggles to adequately contain the coronavirus.
Iranian leaders have largely asserted that the US sanctions regime has hindered its COVID-19 response, noting that it has resulted in significant shortages of medical supplies. The Donald Trump administration released a State Department fact sheet this week dismissing the claims as “Iran’s sanctions relief scam.”