TEHRAN - Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Alexander Pankin has slammed the United States for obstructing Iran’s request to receive loan from the International Monetary Fund.

This action of the United States is politically motivated and unacceptable, ISNA quoted him as saying on Tuesday in an interview with Rossiya Segodnya.

He urged the international community to support Iran.

Pankin also noted that the International Monetary Fund must adopt a “transparent” and “indiscriminate” approach and give the loan.

In early March, the Central Bank of Iran asked the IMF for $5 billion emergency funding to fight a coronavirus pandemic as the number of infections keeps growing in the country.

Donald Trump’s administration is not only refusing to remove its illegal sanctions on Iran, but it is also blocking Tehran’s efforts to get an emergency loan from the IMF.

President Hassan Rouhani said on April 9 the IMF must fulfill its duties unbiasedly.

“In this difficult situation, the International Monetary Fund must not be influenced by mischievous acts of the enemies of the Iranian people and fulfill its duties,” Rouhani said in a phone conversation with central banker Abdolnasser Hemmati.

Writing on his Instagram page on April 9, Hemmati said, “We expect the IMF to immediately respond to the request of Iran which itself is a founding member of the fund.”

In a tweet on March 26, Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif said, “Even the world's largest economy (the U.S.) needs others to help it fight the pandemic, yet refuses to halt its Economic Terrorism against Iran.”

Zarif said the Covid-19 is ravaging the world and sparing no nation.  

“Does the U.S. want a ‘forever pandemic’?” Zarif asked.

The chief diplomat said it is “moral imperative to stop observing the bully’s sanctions”.

Government spokesperson Ali Rabiei said on April 13 that the U.S. has no right to prevent the IMF from giving loan to Iran.

“From the legal point of view, the United States is not in the position to obstruct the legal performance of institutions and international organizations,” he said in a press conference.

He added, “The United States must understand that the international institutions are not its property.”

Ali Shamkhani, secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council (SNSC), said on April 25 that the U.S. attempts to block Iran’s efforts to get loan from the IMF violate peremptory norms of general international law.

“U.S. opposition to Iran’s request from the International Monetary Fund is a violation of peremptory norms of the right to health,” Shamkhani tweeted.

On April 22, European Union foreign policy chief Joseph Borrell criticized the U.S. for blocking Iran’s request for loan from the IMF.

“I regret that ... the United States are opposing the International Monetary Fund to take this decision,” he said during a virtual press conference at the end of a video meeting of EU foreign affairs ministers, Politico reported 

“From the humanitarian point of view, this decision, this request should have been accepted.”

NA/PA