Iranian president Hassan Rouhani has called on the International Monetary Fund (IMF) not to succumb to US pressure and fulfill its obligations to other countries, especially in the context of the coronavirus pandemic, Mehr reported. 

“We have not asked for anything from the IMF in the past 50 years, and we have met all our obligations; should the Fund not fulfill its responsibilities in these hard times, the world will interpret it differently,” Rouhani said in a cabinet session on Wednesday.

Speaking about the unilateral approaches of the United States, which prevented the struggle of many countries against the outbreak of coronavirus, he noted: “We have not asked for anything from the IMF in the past 50 years, and we have met all our obligations; should the Fund not fulfill its responsibilities in these hard times, the world will interpret it differently.”

According to him, Washington violated the resolution of the World Health Organization of 2005, which provides for the cooperation of all countries during pandemics, and this shame will always remain with the US government.

The president noted that Iranian medical sector is doing everything possible to meet the containment requirements of COVID-19, noting that Iran will become self-sufficient in coronavirus test kits in the near future.

In early March, the Central Bank of Iran asked the IMF to provide emergency funding of $ 5 billion to combat the coronavirus pandemic, as the number of patients in the country continues to grow.

However, the United States refused to lift sanctions against Iran and even toughened it several times in recent weeks, which makes it virtually impossible for Iran to access vital medicines and medical equipment needed to fight the pandemic.