Daily ‘Dawn’ said in its editorial comments on Saturday that the US should stop bullying others in order to create obstacles in procurement of medical supplies for fighting corona pandemic.
It said COVID-19 is pushing the healthcare systems of even some of the world’s most developed states to the edge, with governments and medical professionals battling to prevent the contagious infections from rising every day.
“Meanwhile, the threat to least developed states is even greater, as dilapidated health systems in these countries means that unless stringent measures are taken, a disaster is likely,” it said.
It added it is clear that some in the international community are bent upon enforcing measures that can only be described as cruel and inhuman in such times of global crisis.
“The US, for example, has refused to ease sanctions on Iran despite the fact that the Islamic Republic is among the countries hardest hit by the virus,” it noted.
Dawn said that even in normal circumstances it could be argued that the US sanctions against Iran are wrong and unjustified.
“Iran needs urgent measures to combat the virus,” it said.
It said keeping this alarming situation in mind, Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi has urged world leaders to “show utmost compassion” and lift the sanctions against Iran.
The editorial said that China, where the outbreak started, has also called for Iran to be given sanctions relief for humanitarian reasons.
“America’s differences with Iran are geopolitical and ideological and go back decades, however, at this time nations must move beyond such narrow considerations and think purely along humanitarian lines,” said Dawn.
It added the dire situation in Iran demands that the world community work together to fight the contagion and let essential supplies into the country to save lives.
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