UN urges easing Iran sanctions as death toll approaches 2,000
The United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights chief called Tuesday for any sanctions imposed on countries like Iran facing the new coronavirus pandemic to be re-evaluated and avoid pushing already strained medical systems into collapse.
"At this crucial time, both for global public health reasons, and to support the rights and lives of millions of people in these countries, sectoral sanctions should be eased or suspended," Michelle Bachelet said in a statement.
"In the context of the global pandemic, impeding medical efforts in one country heightens the risk for all of us."
Iran announced 122 new deaths Tuesday from the novel coronavirus, raising the official toll to 1,934 in one of the world's worst-hit countries.
Iranian Health Ministry spokesman Kianoush Jahanpour said a record 1,762 new cases have been confirmed over the past 24 hours and approximately 25,000 people are now known to have been infected.
Iran has the fourth-highest official death toll from the coronavirus after Italy, China and Spain but, unlike those countries, it has yet to impose any lockdown on its citizens.
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