Iran: Campaign to Lift US Sanctions Gets Around 100K Signatures

Iran’s international campaign calling for the United States to lift illegal sanctions will soon reach 100,000 signatures, the state’s Islamic Republic News Agency reported Wednesday. 

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The signatures of the campaign have passed 97,500 and will reach 100,000 in no time, Abolfazl Fateh, an Iranian media activist who initiated the campaign in late February told IRNA.

Fateh, in a letter to the United Nations Secretary-General and WHO Director-General, called for immediate lifting all medical sanctions to help combat the novel coronavirus in Iran.

President Hasan Rohani said the sanctions limit bank interactions, the import of medicines and medical equipment as well as the safety of the Iranian people during the worldwide pandemic due to Covid-19.

The petition aims at pressing international organizations, in order to gather international support that could press the U.S. and Europe to reduce or remove sanctions on Iran. As of Monday, the Persian nation reported over 27,000 cases and around 2,000 deaths. 

Given this situation and its possible severity, United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights Michelle Bachelet referred to Iran as one of the most affected nations from COVID-19 and U.S. sanctions. 

"In this crucial period, both for reasons of global public health and to support the rights and lives of millions of people in the (sanctioned) countries, sectoral sanctions must be relaxed or suspended," Bachelet said, calling for an "urgent re-evaluation."

Meanwhile, on Monday, Foreign Ministers of the European Union (EU) supported Iran and Venezuela’s requests for financial aid to the International Monetary Fund (IMF) to fight the coronavirus pandemic.

The EU is preparing to send more than US$20 million worth of humanitarian aid to Iran, which EU Foreign Affairs Chief Josep Borrell said is not breaching U.S. sanctions.