US President Donald Trump listens as Secretary of State Mike Pompeo speaks during the daily briefing on the novel coronavirus, COVID-19, at the White House on March 20, 2020, in Washington, DC. (AFP photo)
US sanctions aim to destabilize the Iranian government and destroy the nation, according to Canadian writer and activist Mark Taliano.
The US slapped its "ugliest" sanctions against Iran amid the coronavirus pandemic which is infecting more and more Iranians.
Last week, the US State Department gave permission to Iraq to import electricity from Iran for 30 days while imposing new sanctions against 20 entities based in Iran and Iraq.
Taliano told Press TV in an interview that imposing harsh sanctions against Iran during this critical time proves Washington aims to "destabilize and destroy Iran".
"Iran is a target country, a prey country. Washington has made no secret of the fact that it seeks to destabilize this country," he said.
Taliano said the US aims to destabilize Iran through economic terrorism and isolation of the Iranian nation.
He noted that US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo has used the novel corona pandemic as a pretext to demonize Iran.
"Pompeo is already demonizing Iran using the Corona virus. Theyre saying that Iran is importing it to different countries which of course he doesnt use any proof nor does he need to use proof, just false allegations," Taliano pointed out.
Iran has defended itself against hostile US policies, saying the COVID-19 pandemic reveals the "ugliest face of US government addicted to sanctions".
Irans Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif wrote on his Instagram account Monday that the coronavirus pandemic underscored the need to end "madness in politics and irresponsible unilateralism".
He said that the US government was sabotaging the countrys fight against the pandemic by imposing the sanctions.
"This is the ugliest face of a government addicted to sanctions which wants to revive its abortive maximum pressure campaign through weakening Iran in the face of the corona," he stated.
Zarif noted that the US sanctions were hampering the Iranian nations efforts to curb the outbreak which has killed more than 2,750 people and infected nearly 41,500 across the country.
"The combination of sanctions and the corona is a more dangerous enemy and a more dreadful malady; sanctions make the corona bolder and taking difficult decisions for crisis management even harder," Zarif said.
Washington slapped fresh anti-Iran sanctions in recent weeks, making it almost impossible for Iran to access life-saving medications and medical equipment needed to fight the pandemic.
SOURCE: PRESS TV
LINK: https://www.ansarpress.com/english/15218
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