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.