Swiss Channel Unable to Address Iranian Needs

Iran's permanent representative to the United Nations said the Swiss channel for humanitarian trade with Iran is unable to address the needs of the nation while the country is facing sweeping American sanctions. 
Majid Takht-Ravanchi made the statement in an international webinar on Saturday attended by the ambassadors of Iran, Syria, Venezuela, Cuba, Zimbabwe and Nicaragua in the UN, IRNA reported. 
"Conditions set out by the United States' Treasury Department for issuing permits for companies applying to use the channel are so strict that make trade practically onerous," he said, IRNA reported. 
The US reimposed tough sanctions on Tehran in 2018 after it withdrew from the 2015 nuclear deal. Its so-called maximum pressure has affected the trade of humanitarian supplies, although such goods should be exempt from sanctions based on international law.  
In early 2020, the US Treasury granted a license to allow humanitarian trade transactions with Iran’s sanctioned central bank through the Swiss Humanitarian Trade Arrangement.
Takht-Ravanchi rejected the American officials' claim that humanitarian goods are not sanctioned, saying such transactions are in fact impossible due to the banking and shipping restrictions. 
He also censured the US for refusing to ease its pressure during the coronavirus pandemic while Iran was among the countries worst hit by the viral disease called Covid-19. 
"The US unilateral sanctions have hampered Iranian efforts to combat the disease," he said. 
The whole humanity is on the same front in the battle against the virus, according to Iran’s UN envoy, and any restriction and obstacle in the way of each county's response would undermine global efforts to control the outbreak. 
Takht-Ravanchi highlighted the adverse health and economic impacts of the disease in Iran and other states, calling for the immediate lifting of all sanctions on affected countries. 
The webinar titled "Covid-19 and Sanctions" was organized by the "Sanctions Kill" NGO. The participating countries are all under US sanctions.