OREANDA-NEWS. The United States is short-sighted, refusing to ease sanctions against Iran in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic, as its spread outside the Islamic republic could affect US troops in the Middle East. This opinion was expressed on Tuesday by the permanent representative of Russia to international organizations in Vienna, Mikhail Ulyanov.

"The United States is not ready to consider easing sanctions against Iran. This is impractical, given that the coronavirus can spread to neighboring countries and affect 70 thousand US troops in the region, as well as many US civilians", the politician wrote on his Twitter.

Iranian authorities have repeatedly stated that Washington’s restrictions on Tehran prevent the country from fighting the spread of coronavirus. According to the Iranian side, US sanctions impede the import of humanitarian goods into the country, including food and medicine. According to the latest data, in Iran the total number of cases of infection has exceeded 60 thousand, 3,739 deaths have been recorded.