TEHRAN — A member of the parliament says the coronavirus pandemic has laid bare the true face of the United States, which pursues anti-human rights policies.

“On the one hand, the American [rulers] shout out humanitarian slogans, but on the other hand, they prevent aid to Iran to fight coronavirus,” said Hassan Bahramnia, ISNA reported on Saturday.

“This conduct clearly shows their anti-human rights policies,” Bahramnia added.

Iran has on various occasions denounced Washington’s unilateral sanctions for worsening Iran’s fight against the deadly virus.

In a letter to Director-General of the World Health Organization (WHO) Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus on Friday, Iran's Ambassador and Permanent Representative to the UN office in Geneva Esmaeil Baqaei Hamaneh said medical sanctions by the United States government against the Islamic Republic amount to an “unprecedented threat” to global public health.

According to Press TV, Baqaei Hamaneh said the imposition of the cruel and illegal sanctions on Iran, which has resulted in the ordinary Iranian people being denied access to medicine and medical equipment and services, clearly exemplifies a crime against humanity.

He added that the sanctions have blocked Iran’s banking interaction with other countries in order to buy commodities required in the fight against the coronavirus and warned that the illegal restrictions are a serious threat to Tehran’s efforts to battle and contain the virus.

The Iranian envoy stressed the importance of rolling back international sanctions regimes around the world as emphasized by United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres.

In a letter to the G-20 economic powers, Guterres said the sanctions are heightening the health risks for millions of people and weakening the global containment endeavor.

“I am encouraging the waiving of sanctions imposed on countries to ensure access to food, essential health supplies, and COVID-19 medical support. This is the time for solidarity, not exclusion,” the UN chief wrote.

In his remarks, Bahramnia also said the coronavirus might be part of biological warfare imposed by bullying countries against humanity.

“This has not been proven yet, but if this is the case, it’s a crime against humanity which shows the wickedness of the country that produced it,” he said.

Last month, Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Ali Khamenei described the U.S. as “the evilest enemy of the Iranian nation,” saying the U.S. is accused of producing the virus.

“I do not know how true this accusation is, but when such an accusation is made, which wise person will ask for your help?” he asked.

Ayatollah Khamenei also ordered Iran’s military chief to establish a “health and treatment base” to prevent further spread of the virus.

“Since there is some evidence that this incident might be a ‘biological attack’, this measure could be also some form of biological defense drill, which would add to national power and strength [of the country],” he said.

MH/PA