US Hostile Policies Hampering Iran’s Battle with COVID-19 - Rouhani

By Staff, Agencies

Iranian President Hassan Rouhani blamed the United States’ inhumane and illegal policies for obstructing or preventing Iran’s plans to obtain medical supplies and for disrupting the efforts to contain the novel coronavirus.

Rouhani made the remarks in an address to an online summit of the Non-Aligned Movement [NAM], which was held on Monday, and chaired by President of the Republic of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev, who holds the rotating presidency of NAM for the 2019-2022 period.

The video conference was attended by representatives from 40 countries, including 19 presidents, one vice president, 6 prime ministers, one deputy prime minister, 8 foreign ministers and an interior minister.

The theme of the summit was "United Against COVID-19" and aims to promote international cooperation in the fight against the pandemic.

During the summit, Rouhani presented a report on Iran’s performance in containing and fighting against the novel coronavirus.

He also lashed out at the US administration for defunding the World Health Organization amid the global fight against the COVID-19, describing it as a strategic mistake.