Iran Press/Iran News: Mohammad Javad Zarif made the remarks on Wednesday on Youtube, saying: "We are all in this together. To better confront the virus, we need to better work together. But to get there, the war on multilateralism, international cooperation, and the rule of law must come to an end. And those who passively comply with the whims of unilateralist bullies must wake up to the reality that they are also responsible for the destructive ramifications of aggressive unilateralism."
He was referring to the US sanctions impeding Iran to mobilize all its resources to fight coronavirus.
Ever since quitting the multilateral 2015 nuclear deal with Iran in May 2018, US President Donald Trump has been running what he refers to as a “maximum pressure” of sanctions against Tehran.
The American sanctions target both Iran and its international partners, including European countries that seek to engage in trade with the Islamic Republic.
So-called secondary sanctions target foreign companies that do business with Iran. Affected countries, including China, say those bans violate their sovereignty because their bilateral interactions with Iran are targeted by a third country, namely the US.
Coinciding with field-medical and research-medical efforts, Iran is moving forward in the fight against the virus despite cruel and illegal US sanctions.
The novel coronavirus, which causes a respiratory disease known as COVID-19, emerged in the central Chinese city of Wuhan in Hubei Province late last year. It has killed nearly 8,300 people globally, and infected over 200,000, according to the World Health Organization.
"Iranians, relying on the millennia of civilizations and unified national resilience will overcome these challenges and emerge as a stronger and more passionate community," Iran's Foreign Minister added.
"But we, human beings, are capable of adopting a more empathic and eventually a more prudent approach towards one another; One premised on mutual respect and equal footing. It takes will, courage, and moral imperatives," said Zarif.
"If we are to make the world that will emerge from COVID-19 a better one, we must seize the opportunity to forge a new path," he concluded.
Nowruz Eve, as the common cultural heritage and ancient history of its inhabitants, strengthens the bonds of friendship and respect, trust, solidarity and cooperation between them, and serves to bring our peoples closer together.
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