Iranian official slams U.S. for "ignoring global calls" to relieve anti-Iran sanctions

Iran's ambassador to Belgium slammed the U.S. administration for "ignoring the global calls" to relieve sanctions on Iran as the country faces challenges to combat the COVID-19 outbreak, the state TV report on Friday. Through maximum sanction pressures, "Washington wants Iran to surrender to U.S. demands" amid the rampage of the impacts of the coronavirus, the envoy Gholam Hossein Dehqani said.

He referred to the international calls, including the UN, for the removal of sanctions against those countries affected by the novel coronavirus.

"COVID-19 is not a national issue. It is not confined to a certain geography, region, nation or culture. It has created a unique moment of global solidarity," Dehqani added.

The Iranian diplomat said that Iran deems U.S. unilateral sanctions as "illegal and a violation of international law" and would not surrender to them.

Iranian President Hassan Rouhani said on Monday that Iran had urged countries to exert pressure on the United States to lift its "cruel and one-sided" sanctions against Iran as the country struggles to control the disease.

Rouhani said that it was more difficult for Iran, in comparison with other countries, to battle the novel coronavirus when it was under the U.S. sanctions.

Iran is the worst-hit country by the pandemic in the Middle East with 68,192 confirmed cases and 4,232 deaths so far.