The Governor of the Central Bank of Iran Abdolnasser Hemmati said efforts to transfer money for buying the coronavirus have been futile due to United States economic siege.
In a note posted on his social media account Monday, Hemmati said Donald Trump’s America is lying when it says humanitarian trade, mainly import of food and medicine, is exempt from the hostile sanctions.
"Vaccine purchase must be done through covax and the official route of World Health Organization. All the routes for transferring money are blocked due to the vicious US sanctions and obligation [of vaccine suppliers] to get permission from OFAC," he wrote. The Office of Foreign Assets Control is the financial intelligence and enforcement agency of the US Treasury Department.
Covax is global initiative operating under WHO which brings together governments and manufacturers to ensure the Covid-19 vaccines reach those in greatest need. The initiative strives for fair and equitable distribution of vaccine. Iran said in October that it had joined the covax initiative.
Trump walked away from the landmark 2015 Iran nuclear agreement in 2018 and announced tough restrictions on Iran’s banking, insurance and shipping industries.
In the latest penalties the Trump administration backlisted 18 Iranian banks with the specific aim to cut off the country from the international financial system and choke off the rapidly shrinking government revenues.
With the death toll rising to 50,500 and infections surpassing 1 million, Iran is grappling with the largest and deadliest plague in the Middle East.
Tehran’s efforts since March to get funds from international lenders to fight the deadly virus have also been wrecked due to the US economic blockade and the CBI has faced a wall trying to unlock assets in countries like India, South Korea, Iraq and Japan among others.
More than $7.5 billion is blocked by South Korea banks. Hemmati said the CBI has been unable to use its funds held in South Korea to pay for the vaccine.
