OREANDA-NEWS. Sanctions imposed by the United States against Iran should be eased in light of the deteriorating sanitary and epidemiological situation in the republic due to the spread of coronavirus. This statement was made on Monday by the human rights organization Human Rights Watch.

"Complicating the situation of Iranians by depriving them of access to vital medical supplies and equipment that they urgently need is a wrong and inhuman step on the part of the US Presidential Administration Donald Trump", the organization’s executive director Kenneth Roth said in a statement. According to him, "the US government must make sure that the financial sanctions imposed on Iran do not block the possibility of delivering to the Iranian population everything necessary to protect against coronavirus".

The Iranian Ministry of Health informed February 19 of the country's first infection. According to the latest data, the number of infected is 58 226, at least 3 603 deaths have been recorded. The authorities have repeatedly stated that Washington’s restrictions prevent them from fighting the spread of coronavirus. Michelle Bachelet, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, also spoke out for lifting or suspending sanctions in a pandemic.