An Iranian Minister has blamed the US government’s embargoes for hundreds of daily coronavirus deaths in the Islamic Republic due to obstacles created in Tehran’s fight against the pandemic.
“The US embargoes against Iran and the privation of its hydrocarbon revenues have made it difficult for Iran to deal with the coronavirus,” Xinhua news agency quoted Oil Minister Bijan Zanganeh as saying on Friday at the 22nd virtual meeting of the Gas Exporting Countries Forum.
He added that the US must be held accountable for the deaths in Iran.
The number of daily Covid-19 deaths in Iran has surpassed 400 steadily for nearly two weeks now, following a sustained aggravation of the outbreak since the beginning of September.
In the last few months, Iranian officials have demanded compensation for the severe financial losses endured by Tehran under the impact of the US policy of “maximum pressure” through economic unilateral embargoes.
The US has restricted Iran’s access to its own revenues, which has made the Iranian government unable to distribute resources to protect the Iranian people’s health and livelihood, Zanganeh said.
Since the onset of the pandemic, Iran, one of the worst-hit Middle Eastern country, has registered more than 738,000 confirmed coronavirus cases, with 40,582 deaths.