Moscow Voices Solidarity With Tehran Amid US Pressures

Russia voiced “complete solidarity” with Iran in the face of the United States’ illegal and inhumane sanctions that have targeted the Islamic Republic, notwithstanding Tehran’s uphill battle against the new coronavirus outbreak.
The announcement came in a letter penned on Thursday by Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov to his Iranian counterpart, Mohammad Javad Zarif, in which the Russian side reiterated Moscow’s position concerning the US bans, Press TV reported. 
Lavrov underlined how the American measures have come in the way of Iran’s drive against the novel virus, highlighting the “serious damage” that the infection has inflicted on the Islamic Republic.
The US reimposed unilateral sanctions on Iran after leaving a multilateral and historic nuclear accord between Iran and major world powers, including Russia, officially known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, in May 2018.
Under the deal, the US had earlier lifted sanctions in return for Iran’s acceptance of curbs on its civilian nuclear program.
The withdrawal and restoration of the draconian measures came despite the fact that the United Nations Security Council has endorsed the nuclear deal in the form of a resolution.
The top Russian diplomat pointed to the “illegal and unilateral nature” of the sanctions, and said, “We have been constantly calling on the US to remove the sanctions and refrain from creating an obstacle in the way of [Iran's] all-out battle against the coronavirus infection.”

Coordinated Diplomatic Push 

Lavrov also urged West European states, including the UK, France and Germany, which are still parties to the nuclear deal, “not to be affected by Washington’s attempts to threaten them [into towing the sanction line] and [instead] keep up their interaction with the Iranian partners”.
The Russian minister declared that Moscow’s ongoing “persistent and coordinated” diplomatic cooperation with likeminded countries against Washington’s maneuvers will lead to good results.
Iran sued the US at the International Court of Justice after the latter reinstated the sanctions. The tribunal ruled that Washington has to lift the bans on Iran-headed humanitarian supplies.
Washington alleges that it has exempted food and medicine from the bans. Tehran roundly rejects the claim.
Zarif has written to the UN and other international organizations, urging the removal of US measures and underlining their counterproductive effects on Iran’s fight against the viral outbreak.
In March, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres called on the leaders of G-20 economic powers to roll back international sanctions around the world, including the ones against Iran, amid the pandemic.
The novel virus can cause a potentially deadly infection called Covid-19. Since emerging in central China late last year, the virus has claimed the lives of nearly 270,000 people worldwide, including about 6,500 in Iran.