Zarif, Lavrov Discuss Confronting Coronavirus, US Sanctions

By Staff, Agencies 

Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif and his Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov discussed on Tuesday the continuous efforts to counter the coronavirus outbreak.

In a telephone conversation, the two top diplomats conferred on the current situation and the impact of the spread of the coronavirus in both countries and the world.

Zarif and Lavrov also tackled Tehran’s efforts to cope with the pandemic in the face of sanctions, ongoing political developments in Afghanistan and international efforts against the US unilateral bans against various countries.

Lavrov said Moscow wants the US to lift the sanctions that hinder Iran’s fight against the coronavirus epidemic as soon as possible.

Earlier in the day, Iranian Health Ministry Spokesman Kianoosh Jahanpoor said the number of people tested positive for COVID-19 across the country had risen to 24,811 after the detection of 1,762 new cases since Monday noon.

He said 8,931 Coronavirus patients have recovered from the disease so far and have been discharged from the hospital.

According to Jahanpoor, the Coronavirus death toll in Iran has risen to 1,934 after 122 patients lost their lives during the past 24 hours, showing a decline compared to a day before.

More than 387,000 people have been infected with COVID-19 globally, and the death toll has exceeded 16,700.