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Coronavirus pandemic

US sanctions limit Iran's capacities to fight coronavirus — ambassador

Nearly 14,000 cases of the novel coronavirus have been confirmed in Iran, and the death toll reached 724

© EPA-EFE/ABEDIN TAHERKENAREH

MOSCOW, March 15. /TASS/. US sanctions against Iran limit Tehran's capacities of fighting against the novel coronavirus, Iranian Ambassador to Russia Kazem Jalali wrote on his official Twitter account on Sunday.

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"At my recent talks with Russian officials, I said that the international community should understand and put an end to cynical, illegal and cruel US sanctions which represent a crime against humanity. Sanctions limit Iran's financial sources and capacities of fighting against the coronavirus," Jalali said.

He added that the fight against the novel coronavirus requires joint measures from the whole international community.

The first cases of the novel coronavirus were reported in Iran on February 19. Since then, a total of 13,939 cases have been confirmed, and 724 people died from the novel coronavirus in Iran.

On Thursday, Iranian Foreign Minister Javad Zarif told UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres that the United Nations should lift all sanctions from Tehran because they hamper the fight against the novel coronavirus. In response, Guterres called on all countries to provide support to Iran in the fight against the coronavirus.

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