Iran’s Progress in COVID-19 Battle ‘Significant’ despite US Bans: Zarif


TEHRAN (Tasnim) – Iran’s Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif said the country, despite the US sanctions, has made “significant progress” in its fight against the coronavirus pandemic thanks to its human and scientific resources.

“Despite US sanctions, Iran has made significant progress in fighting the pandemic, thanks to its human & scientific resources, and friends abroad,”Zarif said in a message posted on his Twitter account on Monday night.

“Covid19 was opportunity for US to kick its addiction to sanctions. Instead, it will now live in infamy in the memory of our people,” he added.

The tweet came after Iranian Deputy Health Minister Iraj Harirchi announced earlier in the day that new cases of infections and deaths from the viral disease had been on a downward slope across most of the country’s 31 provinces.

Iran’s Health Ministry spokesman announced on Monday that nearly 46,000 coronavirus positive cases in the country have fully recovered from the disease.

Kianoosh Jahanpoor also noted that the number of people tested positive for the coronavirus across Iran had risen to 73,303 following the detection of 1,617 new cases since Sunday noon.

According to the spokesman, 111 coronavirus patients died over the previous 24 hours, bringing the death toll to 4,585.