SHTA Is Much Ado About Nothing

The Swiss government's payment channel for humanitarian goods to Iran, known as Swiss Humanitarian Trade Arrangement (SHTA), is plagued by delays, raising concerns about the viability of the move.  
However, the foreign ministry in Bern has blamed the delays on the coronavirus pandemic. This was conveyed in response to an email sent by swissinfo.ch asking whether or not the channel is still operational.
“Unfortunately there have been delays due to Covid-19…Interested companies, particularly in the pharmaceutical sector, were faced with other priorities overnight. However, we would also like to emphasize that a number of companies have already been approved and that first transactions should be carried out shortly.”