Human RightsIran

MP Blasts US, Europe for Troubling Iran’s Medical, Pharmaceutical Imports

A1135043An Iranian lawmaker blasted the West for impeding medical and pharmaceutical supplies to Iran through blocking the country’s financial transactions with foreign states.

“The US and Europe are after creating a health crisis and shortage of drugs in Iran through their sanctions,” Kermanshah’s deputy Seyed Saeed Heydari said, addressing an open session of the parliament here on Wednesday.

“The foreign media deny the imposition of sanctions on medicine and medical equipments, but everybody knows that they (the US and its European allies) are seeking victory in the soft war (against Iran) by any means, including the boycott on the supply of drugs and medical equipments,” he continued.

Last month in similar remarks, President of the Iranian Academy of Medical Sciences and member of the Iranian Parliament’s Health Commission Dr. Seyed Alireza Marandi lambasted the West for banning medical and pharmaceutical exports to Iran through blocking the country’s financial transactions with foreign states.

Marandi questioned the US and western states’ claims that they have exempted medicine from the sanctions and restrictions against Iran.

“(The sales of) medicines have not been banned directly; of course there are some pharmaceutical companies that refuse to sell drugs to us but those which sell medicine to us want their money and the money should be paid by the Central Bank of Iran (CBI) and the CBI is under sanction and cannot pay the money.”

“It’s like you build a fence around someone to protect his security, but no one is allowed to enter for the very same excuse, including those who want to enter the area to bring water and food supplies. So, on the surface, you seem to have not blocked the supply of water and foodstuff, but in essence, you do not allow these items to arrive in that specific are,” explained Dr. Marandi, a former Health Minister.

Iranian official have lashed out at the US and the EU for threatening the lives of millions of Iranian people, specially women and children, through unilateral sanctions against Tehran.

In a letter to UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon last month Dr. Marandi called on the UN chief to take effective measures to exempt the banking transactions needed for supplying medical and pharmaceutical supplies to Iran from these embargos.

“These brutal measures have not only affected the overall welfare of the nation’s population, specially that of women and children, but also led to a significant rise in suffering as well as increased mortality rates as a result of the unavailability of essential drugs and shortages of medical supplies and equipment,” Dr. Marandi said in his letter to Ban Ki-moon.

Iranian health officials have already lashed out at the UN for keeping mum on the US-led western sanctions against the supply of medicine and pharmaceutical products to Iran through financial restrictions, stressing that the measure violates international laws and codes of ethics.

Both the US and EU allege that foodstuff and medicine have been exempted from restrictions, but the tough sanctions imposed on financial transactions with Iran have practically blocked Iranian companies’ access to the international markets as they cannot pay for their purchases.

Iran produces almost all its medical needs, but has to import a major part of the raw materials needed for its pharmaceutical products.

Back to top button