TEHRAN – “Silent War”, an exhibition of photos putting a spotlight on U.S. sanctions and their deadly effect on medical treatment in Iran, will open in the Iranian Artists Forum on Friday.

The photos were taken by Seyyed Mehdi Hosseini, who has lived with many people whose lives have been affected by sanctions.

Hosseini has created a photo book of their lives, some of which will be displayed in “Silent War”.

In a statement published for the exhibit, Hosseini wrote, “It all started from the last few days of year 2012 when I heard the sad news of my father’s illness. He was diagnosed with Liver cirrhosis.”

“I didn’t know what the cause of my father’s fatal disease was. But I knew something for sure, doctors had great hopes for him. They assured us that there were some treatment procedures which could slow or delay the progression of his disease.”

“Unfortunately, however, his condition coincided with some significant changes in the country due to economic sanctions. My father’s illness, along with the economic and social instability, caused our family to face a crisis. We had been overwhelmed by lots of prescriptions for rare medicines while sanction statements were piling up at international agencies,” the statement reads.

U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo had claimed that “the U.S. does not, and never did, sanction food and medicine. They are exempt from sanctions.” But limits on financial transactions have caused problems in the process of buying and producing medicine.

In June, vocalist Mohammad Motamedi said that due to the U.S. sanctions on Iran, doctors in the country are struggling with a critical shortage of specialized drugs and medical instruments to treat their patients.

“It has been two months since I have been waiting for a simple pH meter to continue my treatment for an operation on my stomach. But the necessary instrument has not been delivered to the country due to the sanctions,” he had said in a post published on his Instagram.

The exhibit will be running until September 21. 

Photo: A poster for “Silent War”.

RM/YAW