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Rouhani: Enemy’s Economic Pressure Fails to Defeat Iranian Nation

Iranian President Hassan Rouhani praised his nation's achievements during 1398 solar year which ends on March 20, and vowed that the US pressures would fail to subdue Iran.

“In every area where the enemy aimed to create problems for our people and to eventually defeat them by economic pressure, our nation managed to gain victory and attain progress through crisis,” said Rouhani on Wednesday in Tehran on the sidelines of the last cabinet session in the current year.

“The enemy had concentrated all pressure on the economy. The worst pressure started against the economy, especially against the oil industry, in May 2019. Although these pressures created problems for people, they also brought about many successes. For the first time, we got through an oil-free budget. This was the year of managing the country without depending on oil.”

Rouhani went on to refer to some of the main events happened during the year, including the US’ assassination of Lieutenant General Ghasem Soleimani. “Americans assassinated our great general and we didn’t and don’t leave their actions unanswered,” he said.

“I think Americans will not forget our armed forces’ firm response with targeting one of their regional bases by missiles because it was the first time in the region that they had faced such a resistance.”

He also praised the capabilities of Iranian armed forces which led to the downing of a US spy drone in June 2019. “We will see greater events in the next year as the Bavar 373 missile system will get more advanced features.”

“Let me seize the opportunity to appreciate all the armed forces, Army, IRGC, and Basij, that stood against America and slapped it in the face.”

Elsewhere, he also pointed to the situation around the coronavirus outbreak in the country and implemented measured to contain it. Rouhani said the government has offered all its capabilities in the process.

He said that special economic packages have been prepared for those businesses and individuals harmed by the outbreak.

Rouhani hoped that the country would go through current problems in the new year, wishing health for all the people.

Iran’s Health Ministry spokesman announced on Tuesday that the number of people infected with COVID-19 virus has grown to 16,169, while death toll has increased to 988. Meanwhile, 5389 people have recovered.

Novel coronavirus, or COVID-19, is a new respiratory disease first identified in the central Chinese city of Wuhan late last year. The World Health Organization on Wednesday described the outbreak as a pandemic.

According to the latest reports, the novel coronavirus, officially known as COVID-19, has infected over 185,386 people in the world, claiming more than 7,332 lives. However, 79,936 people have recovered.

Last Wednesday, the Iranian foreign ministry declared that despite Washington’s claims of cooperation to transfer drugs to Iran via the new Swiss-launched payment mechanism, the US is troubling the process amid the coronavirus outbreak in the country.

Although US claims that medicines and medical equipment are not under sanctions, they have practically blocked the transfer of Iran’s financial resources in other countries into the Swiss Humanitarian Trade Arrangement (SHTA), Iranian Foreign Ministry Spokesman Seyed Abbas Mousavi said.

As the death toll from the virus surges, Iran intensifies its preventive safety measures. Closures of schools and universities have been extended for the next two weeks.

The government also imposed travel restrictions, specially on Iran’s north, which is among the red zones. The country has also adopted strict digital health control procedures at airports to spot possible infections.

Health Minister Saeed Namaki announced earlier this month that a new national mobilization plan would be implemented across the country to fight against the coronavirus epidemic and more effectively treat patients.

Namaki said that the plan will include all the 17,000 health centers and the 9,000 medical and clinical centers in all cities, suburban areas and villages.

He added that the plan will include home quarantine, noting that infected people will receive the necessary medicines and advice, but they are asked to stay at home.

Namaki said that people with a more serious condition will stay at the hospitals, adding that the public places will be disinfected, the entries of infected towns and cities will be controlled to diagnose and quarantine the infected cases.

He added that the necessary equipment and facilities have been provided, expressing the hope that the epidemic would be curbed.

Namaki said that the number of medical laboratories to test coronavirus infection has reached 22, and will increase to 40 soon.

The World Health Organization (WHO) says Iran’s response to the virus has so far been up to the mark. Still, it says the US sanctions are a big challenge, and Washington would be complicit in the rising death toll in Iran if it would not remove its sanctions.

The World Health Organization has considered priorities in combating coronavirus and Islamic Republic of Iran obeys and follows up priorities as defined by WHO.

The WHO is dispatching separate delegations to all countries.

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