Prime Minister Imran Khan, in an interview with The Associated Press on Monday called for lifting of sanctions on Iran to enable it to combat coronavirus.

In a call for action from the international community, Prime Minister Imran Khan said it was time to end U.S. sanctions on Iran, where one of the worst coronavirus outbreaks in the world has unfolded. 

Iran has struggled to respond in part because of crippling sanctions imposed by the Trump administration.

Khan further added that Iran is a “classic example” of a place where the humanitarian imperative to contain the outbreak outweighs political rivalries or economic dogmas.   

The prime minister said he fears the new coronavirus will devastate the economies of developing nations and warned richer economies to prepare to write off the debts of the world’s poorer countries. 

“It’s not just Pakistan. I would imagine the same in India, in the subcontinent, in African countries,” the prime minister said, referring to the virus, “If it spreads, we will all have problems with our health facilities. We just don’t have that capability. We just don’t have the resources.”