Democrats push back on Iran sanctions amid coronavirus fears 

Top Democrats in Congress are urging the Trump administration to ease sanctions on Iran, Venezuela, and other countries badly hit by the coronavirus pandemic, citing the need to provide medical supplies and humanitarian support, Foreign Policy reported on Friday.

‘Failure to contain coronavirus in Iran will adversely impact the entire world’

The chair of the London-based NGO Islamic Human Rights Commission has censured sanctions against Iran as the country is fighting the worst coronavirus pandemic in West Asia, warning if the deadly disease is not controlled in Iran it will affect the entire world.

Part of Iran’s assets in foreign countries may be released: central banker

TEHRAN – Central bank governor Abdolnaser Hemmati announced on Wednesday that part of the Iranian assets that had been illegally frozen in foreign banks because the U.S. sanctions may be gradually unblocked.

By Syed Zafar Mehdi

U.S. is killing Iranians and the world is complicit

TEHRAN - A visibly sick and exhausted medic continued to see patients in her small hospital cubicle, writing medical prescriptions with her right hand and receiving intravenous infusion on the left hand. She was a doctor and patient both and had a perfectly acceptable excuse to skip work but she didn’t.

Annual non-oil trade at $85b

TEHRAN- The value of Iran’s non-oil trade stood at $85 billion in the past Iranian calendar year of 1398 (ended on March 19, 2020), the head of Islamic Republic of Iran Customs Administration (IRICA) announced.

Iran asks world to act instead of just watching a bully

TEHRAN– Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif highlighted that what the United States is carrying out against the Iranian nation is a crime against humanity.

Zarif, EU's Borrel discuss Iran's struggle against coronavirus amid sanctions

TEHRAN - On Friday, Foreign Minister Zarif and European Union foreign policy chief Josep Borrell held phone talks over Iran's struggle against the pandemic coronavirus as the country is facing the harshest sanction in history, including medical bans.

Rouhani to American people: Depleting Iran's financial resources to contain coronavirus will affect entire world

TEHRAN - In a video message to the American people on Friday - the first day of Nowruz (the Persian New year), President Rouhani said in such a pandemic situation any actor seeking to undermine Iran's health system and restricting its badly needed financial resources to contain the deadly coronavirus will undermine efforts by the entire world.

Zarif: U.S. ‘vengefully’ refusing to lift sanctions; all responsible for any destructive ramifications

TEHRAN – On the occasion of Nowruz, the Persian New Year, Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif released a video on Wednesday to congratulate the Iranian nation, who is under the US’ tough sanctions and among the hardest-hit by the coronavirus, a happy and healthy year.

MP wants UN Security Council to pass urgent resolution to annul U.S. sanctions on Iran

TEHRAN - Heshmatollah Falahatpisheh, a member of the Majlis National Security and Foreign Policy Committee, has urged the United Nations Security Council to pass an “urgent resolution” to revoke the illegal U.S. sanctions on Iran as the Islamic Republic is fighting the deadly coronavirus.

Zarif to the world: It is ‘immoral’ to observe sanctions

TEHRAN – Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif on Tuesday urged countries across the world to join a global campaign to disregard the U.S. sanctions against Iran.

Ex-Rouhani aide urges people to sign anti-sanctions petition

TEHRAN — The secretary-general of the Women’s Rights Protection Society has called on people to join a campaign urging the U.S. Treasury to immediately lift sanctions on Iran due to the coronavirus outbreak.

'Sanctions are economic warfare'

Congresswoman Ilhan Omar calls for lifting sanctions on Iran amid outbreak 

Congresswoman Ilhan Omar has renewed calls for the U.S. to lift sanctions against Iran, as the country's crippled healthcare system struggles to deal with the rapid spread of the coronavirus, the Middle East Eye reported on Friday.  

Human rights necessitates lifting of illegitimate sanctions on Iran: advisor

TEHRAN - A top advisor to Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif has said from human rights perspective that removal of “unilateral” and “illegitimate” sanctions on Iran is essential as country is the battling to contain the deadly coronavirus.

Ban on medicine imports by Iran is an instance of ‘war crime’, legislator says

TEHRAN — The spokesman for the Parliament Health Committee has deplored Washington for slowing down efforts by Iran to contain the new coronavirus through its sanctions, describing the sanctions on Iran’s medicine sector as nothing but a “war crime”.

‘It is immoral to let a bully kill innocents,’ Zarif says of Trump’s sanctions on Iran

TEHRAN - Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif said on Saturday that President Hassan Rouhani's letter to his counterparts was a warning that the U.S. sanctions is not only putting Iranians' life in danger but also will pave the ground for a faster spread of COVID-19 to other countries.

Sanctions showing their ugly and anti-human face more than ever, Rouhani tells world leaders

TEHRAN — In a letter to number of world leaders on Saturday, President Hassan Rouhani of Iran said countering the coronavirus outbreak entails “regional and international coordination and cooperation”.

By Medea Benjamin, Ariel Gold

To help stem coronavirus, lift sanctions on Iran

The COVID-19 (coronavirus) pandemic is far from the first proof of how intertwined we are as a global community. The climate crisis and the refugee crisis have long been glaring examples that the wars or CO2 emissions on one continent risk the lives and well-being of people on another continent. What coronavirus is providing, however, is a unique opportunity to look specifically at how the intentional damage caused to one country’s healthcare system can make it harder for the entire world to address a pandemic.

Trump is not serious about helping Iran to confront coronavirus, Nasrallah says

Trump is not serious about helping Iran to confront the coronavirus, then the U.S. should lift its sanctions off of Iran. Otherwise, this is another instance of American hypocrisy.

Iran-EAEU trade exceeds $1.2b in 11 months

TEHRAN- The value of trade between Iran and Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU)’s member states reached $1.244 billion during the first eleven months of the current Iranian calendar year (March 21, 2019-February 19, 2020), according to the spokesman of Islamic Republic of Iran Customs Administration (IRICA).

By staff and agency

Sanctions-hit Iran struggles to make cancer drugs: report

In a report published by AFP on Monday, it is said that the United States sanctions against Iran have caused problems for making cancer drugs.

Iranians suffering due to U.S. ‘maximum pressure’ policy: Russian envoy

TEHRAN — Russia’s permanent representative to international organizations in Vienna has criticized the United States’ “maximum pressure” policy against Iran, saying such approach has brought about many negative outcomes, especially suffering of the Iranian people.

U.S. sanctions foreign entities over Iran’s missile program

TEHRAN — The U.S. Department of State has imposed sanctions against 13 foreign entities and individuals in China, Iraq, Russia and Turkey for what it called supporting proliferation programs in Iran, North Korea and Syria.

Urgent action needed to lift medical bans on Iran, physician tells WHO

TEHRAN - A top Iranian physician and media activist has urged the World Health Organization to take urgent action to help lift medical sanctions against Iran as the country is struggling to contain a rapid outbreak of the novel coronavirus.

Dutch FM visits Isfahan, says ready to deepen tourism ties

TEHRAN – Foreign Minister of the Netherlands Stef Blok said on Friday that his country is willing to expand economic and tourism relations with Iran, particularly with Isfahan province.

Jannati mocks U.S. ban, says ‘I cannot go to the U.S. for Christmas anymore’

TEHRAN — Chief of the Guardian Council Ayatollah Ahmad Jannati has made fun of a recent move by the U.S. government to impose sanctions against the council’s members, including himself, saying he can no longer go to the U.S. for Christmas celebrations.

Tehran slams Washington’s ‘insane’ sanctions

TEHRAN — Foreign Ministry spokesman Abbas Mousavi has said the government, nation and all pillars of the Islamic Republic of Iran do not attach the slightest significance to the United States’ “insane” sanctions.

Presidential chief of staff: Strong voter turnout shows national unity

TEHRAN – Presidential chief of staff, who cast his vote at the Interior Ministry headquarters as Iran is holding parliamentary election, said a strong voter turnout shows national unity.

Japan, Austria downgrade Iran travel warning

TEHRAN – Japan and Austria have significantly downgraded their travel warnings on Iran, a caution they, amongst some other countries, issued following the deadly crash of a Ukrainian plane near Tehran last month.