Tehran Times – The Trump administration’s move to impose further sanctions against Iran at a time when the country is battling the new coronavirus pandemic is a “moral abomination,” an American political analyst said on Saturday. Rodney Martin, the former congressional staffer based in Arizona, suggested the world leaders should ignore U.S. sanctions and form a “new economic cooperative” to counter the restrictive measures.
Martin made the remarks during a phone interview with Press TV when asked to comment on Russia’s call for the urgent lifting of U.S. sanctions against Iran as the bans have led to the flare-up of the deadly virus in the country. The U.S Treasury imposed a new round of sanctions on Iran on Thursday, targeting construction and maritime sectors.
Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova said on Friday that the “unprecedented political and economic pressure” on Iran allowed the outbreak to take hold in the country as Tehran is unable to buy medicine and medical equipment due to Washington’s campaign of “maximum pressure” on the Islamic Republic. “Russia is correct to seek an end to U.S. sanctions on Iran,” Martin said.
“Quite frankly, there should be no sanctions to any country, be it Iran, Venezuela or for that matter Russia during this worldwide pandemic, particularly with regard to Iran who has been just absolutely hit very hard… and [is] now suffering both from economic terrorism by the West and this horrific pandemic.”
Martin added, “The sanctions must end and there should be quick condemnation throughout the world to the fact that Iran continues to suffer both economic sanctions wherein they cannot purchase medical supplies and medical equipment.”
Iran is hit worst by the coronavirus in the Middle East. It just comes after Italy and Spain in Europe. As of Sunday, Covid-19 has killed over 2,600 Iranians and infected about 39,000. “This is a moral abomination on the part of the United States and should be condemned, and if the United States refuses to heed the moral calls to remove economic sanctions as it is caving in to the wishes of its neocon and Zionist masters, then the world is going to have to come together — both European leaders, leaders in Moscow, leaders in India, leaders in China, and they are going to collectively ignore the U.S. sanctions and come together as a new economic cooperative,” the political analyst underlined.
According to Press TV, the coronavirus outbreak has prompted various international leaders, figures and groups to call for Washington to suspend its sanctions against Iran as well as several other countries. Earlier this week, eight countries sent a letter to UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, warning about the negative impact of unilateral sanctions on the international anti-coronavirus efforts.
U.S. President Donald Trump ditched the 2015 Iran nuclear deal – JCPOA – in May 2018, restored the previous sanctions and added new ones. It has even introduced a total ban on Iran’s oil export to strangulate the Iranian economy. The International Court of Justice (ICJ) has ordered the White House to lift the sanctions it has illegally re-imposed on humanitarian supplies to Iran. In a post on his Twitter account on Sunday, Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif called on the world to “stop obeying immoral and illegal U.S. sanctions” on Iran.
