Tehran (IP) - Referring to the cruel and unilateral US sanctions against Iran, Iran's First Vice President said: "If Iran did not face sanctions at the current juncture, it would be one of the first countries to provide the necessary vaccine against the coronavirus and ensure the safety of the people."

Iran PressIran News: Eshaq Jahangiri, the first vice president, during a meeting with the Regional Director of the World Health Organization, Ahmed bin Salim Al-Mandhari on Wednesday afternoon, criticized the policies of the former US President Donald Trump and said: "Sanctions against Iran were imposed by a person who had the same harsh treatment with the policies and practices of the World Health Organization.

"These sanctions, which are against the basic human rights to ensure people's health, are anti-human, and unfortunately, the cry of the Iranian people against these oppressive behaviors has not been well heard worldwide," he said.

"Iran is a rich country and does not need help," said the first vice president, noting, "The Americans blocked access to our capital and assets. We have to deal with the outbreak of the coronavirus like any other country when it comes to sanctions. However, it was not possible to send medical equipment purchased with the cooperation of the World Health Organization after one year due to financial constraints."

Jahangiri added: "Currently, Iran has tens of billions of dollars of money in Asian countries, which are blocked in their banks, and we have been delayed for a long time to spend $50 million in advance to buy COVAX in order to find a way to transfer money."

He added: "We expect the World Health Organization to understand Iran's limitations in providing the required vaccine and to help us provide the necessary amount of this vaccine. We should not compare Iran's situation with other countries that are in a normal situation."

214/205

Read More:

Jahangiri: Islamabad-e-Gharb is a stronghold of Iran

Iran Newspapers: First VP says he is optimistic to future

Trump's adventurism over: Iran’s veep