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Iran accuses US of spreading coronavirus
New Delhi/Tehran, March 22
The Supreme religious leader of the Islamic Republic of Iran on Sunday accused the US of spreading novel coronavirus, furthering the ongoing hostility between the two countries.
So far, over 1,500 people have died and around 21,000 infected in Iran by the deadly covid-19, which originated in Wuhan city of China. In the US, 348 people have been killed and over 26,000 tested positive for the virus.
On Sunday, Iran's supreme religious leader, Ali Khamenei, tweeted, "The US government has declared a few times that they are ready to help Iran with medicines to fight the Corona outbreak."
"That's strange," Khamenei remarked sarcastically. "First, based on the words of your own officials, you face shortages in the US. So use what you have for your own patients."
"Second, you're accused of having created coronavirus. I don't know how true it is. But when there's such an allegation, can a wise man trust you? You could be giving medicines that spread the virus or cause it to remain. Experience shows you can't be trusted and you do such things."
On Tuesday US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo had blamed China and the Iranian regime for the "Wuhan virus" and called Tehran an accomplice of Beijing. "Instead of focusing on the needs of the Iranian people and accepting genuine offers of support, senior Iranians lied about the Wuhan virus outbreak for weeks," Pompeo had said.
Three days later, the Trump administration imposed new rounds of sanctions against Iran, amid growing calls for lifting economic pressure on the Islamic republic. The US, however, said humanitarian assistance to Iran was wide open and not sanctioned.
"We are doing everything we can to facilitate the humanitarian assistance moving in and to make sure that the financial transactions connected to that can take place as well. There is no sanction on medicines going to Iran, there is no sanctions on humanitarian assistance going into that country. They've got a terrible problem there and we want that humanitarian, medical assistance to get to the people of Iran," Pompeo on Friday said.
The Iranian government has imported over 170 million masks from abroad and sought $5 billion loan from the International Monetary Fund to fight the pandemic.
Khamenei calls US 'most evil enemy', says COVID-19 help offer 'weird'
Tehran, March 22 (IANS) Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei on Sunday called the US "the most evil enemy of the Iranian nation", saying Washington's offer to help the Islamic nation to fight the coronavirus outbreak was "weird".
"Today, we have no less of enemies but the most evil enemy of the Iranian nation is America," the Tehran-based Press TV quoted Khamenei as saying in a televised address to the nation.
"Americans have said several times that 'we are ready to help with treatment and medicine; just ask us and we will help'. This is one of the weirdest things which they tell us to ask them," he said.
Khamenei said the US officials have continuously sent messages to Iran about their offer, but Tehran did not accept it since the country "does not trust" them.
While the US has refused to lift the sanctions it imposed on Iran, President Donald Trump has said that "all they have to do is ask" for help to deal with the pandemic.
Meanwhile, Iranian health authorities have said that the coronavirus pandemic in the country, one of the worst-hit in the Middle Eastern region, was showing signs of slowing down although the overall number of cases has now reached 20,610.
On Saturday, the Ministry of Health and Medical Education said that the death toll from the novel coronavirus increased to 1,556, while the number of cured people rose to 7,635, reports Xinhua news agency.
