US Democratic presidential candidate Bernie Sanders and House member Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez urged the country's authorities to lift sanctions on Iran, Independent reported.

In an open letter, signed by 30 American politicians, the administration of US President Donald Trump offers to provide Iran with humanitarian support instead of worsening the situation.

“Rather than continue to invoke new sanctions in the Iranian people’s hour of need, we urge you to substantially suspend sanctions on Iran during this global public health emergency in a humanitarian gesture to the Iranian people to better enable them to fight the virus,” said the letter.“We encourage the US to find a way to deliver aid directly to the Iranian people to support the Iranian people’s fight against Coronavirus, as many other nations have done. There is precedent for both of these steps, as the George W Bush administration eased sanctions and delivered aid to Iran following a deadly earthquake near Bam in 2003.”

The letter was published less than a week after the US imposed new sanctions on Iran, which included individuals and companies associated with the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps.