TEHRAN – Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif says even while the United States, the world’s largest economy, needs others’ help to fight the coronavirus pandemic, it refuses to halt its “economic terrorism” against Iran.

“#Covid19 ravages the world, sparing no nation. Even the world's largest economy needs others to help it fight the pandemic, yet refuses to halt its #EconomicTerrorism against Iran,” Zarif tweeted on Thursday.

Zarif was referring to an article in The Wall Street Journal which quoted a statement from Seoul’s presidential Blue House according to which Trump had asked South Korea to send medical equipment to the U.S. to combat the coronavirus.

As the deadly coronavirus is ravaging Iran and global opposition to the U.S. illegal sanctions against Iran is intensifying,  the U.S. Treasury imposed a new series of sanctions on the Islamic republic on Thursday, targeting Iran's construction and maritime services industries. 

Zarif said, “Does the US want a 'forever pandemic'? Moral imperative to stop observing the bully's sanctions.”

According to the latest reports, the death toll from the coronavirus outbreak in Iran has risen to 2,234 with 29,406 confirmed cases as of Thursday.

Tehran says its efforts to combat the outbreak are severely hampered by the U.S. sanctions.

On Tuesday, the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights called for any sanctions imposed on countries like Iran facing the new coronavirus pandemic to be re-evaluated and avoid pushing already strained medical systems into collapse.

"At this crucial time, both for global public health reasons, and to support the rights and lives of millions of people in these countries, sectoral sanctions should be eased or suspended," Michelle Bachelet said in a statement.

"In the context of global pandemic, impeding medical efforts in one country heightens the risk for all of us."

EM/PA