Joe Biden called on President Trump to ease sanctions on Iran as the country deals with one of the deadliest coronavirus outbreaks in the world.
“In the midst of this deadly pandemic that respects no borders, the United States should take steps to offer what relief we can to those nations hardest hit by this virus — including Iran — even as we prioritize the health of the American people,” Biden said in a statement on Thursday.
Iran, which has a population of about 83.7 million people, has reported more than 50,000 coronavirus cases and 3,160 deaths resulting from coronavirus complications, according to Johns Hopkins University, one of the highest death tolls in the world.
“To stop this pandemic effectively, every country on earth will need to work together,” Biden added. “Artificially limiting the flow of international humanitarian assistance to pursue a political point will not only allow the Iranian government to deflect responsibility for its own botched response, it will increase the threat this virus poses to the American people, now and in the future.”
Biden suggested some specific measures to ease sanctions as Iran deals with the coronavirus outbreak, including “issuing broad licenses to pharmaceutical and medical device companies; creating a dedicated channel for international banks, transportation companies, insurers, and other service firms to help Iranians access life-saving medical treatment; issuing new sanctions guidance to these groups and international aid organizations to make it clear how they can immediately, directly, and legally respond to the tragedy in Iran, without fear of penalty; and, for entities already conducting enhanced due diligence, it should issue comfort letters to reassure them that they will not be subject to U.S. sanctions if they engage in humanitarian trade with Iran to support its COVID-19 response.”
The former vice president and likely Democratic presidential nominee acknowledged that the country’s government bears some responsibility for the severe outbreak. The U.S. and Iran have not had diplomatic relations for 40 years.
“While the Iranian government has failed to respond effectively to this crisis, including lying and concealing the truth from its own people, and it continues to act provocatively in the region, the Iranian people are hurting desperately,” Biden said. “It is bad enough that the Trump administration abandoned the Iran nuclear deal in favor of a ‘maximum pressure’ strategy that has badly backfired, encouraging Iran to become even more aggressive and restart its nuclear program. It makes no sense, in a global health crisis, to compound that failure with cruelty by inhibiting access to needed humanitarian assistance.”
On Wednesday, Trump said in a tweet that Iran or its proxies were “planning a sneak attack on U.S. troops and/or assets in Iraq” and warned that Iraq would pay “a heavy price” if it did so.
