Daily Times

Since the outbreak of the new Corona virus in China, the Islamic Republic of Iran has been predicting that the virus will reach Iran as well, given the severity of the outbreak and its spread. Therefore, the government planned to deal with it and the necessary preparations were made.

The virus was expected to be announced in some middle countries sooner, but that did not happen. Despite the fact that the Islamic Republic of Iran was on the verge of holding a crucial parliamentary election, the Iranian government notified the media and the general public as soon as it identified the first case of the virus because public health and compliance with International Health Regulations (IHR), which guarantees international health security, is a top priority for us. Adopting such a policy protects Iran and other countries from the consequences of lack of timely information and political misuse from the issue.

Since the outbreak in China, at the behest of the Honorable Minister of Health on 2020   January 21, a Corona Control Center has been established in the Ministry of Health with 12 sub-committees that monitor interdepartmental activities. On this basis, regular meetings are held daily at the Iranian Ministry of Health and the latest status of the issue is reported publicly at a specific time of day (13:00 hours). Although the cases of Coronavirus in Iran is low and limited compared to global statistics, the process of identification, treatment and public awareness is carried out rapidly and accurately.

International Health Regulations require member states to share information transparently with other countries at the time of outbreaks that endangers international health security. The Islamic Republic of Iran has acted within the framework of its obligations under these Regulations, and therefore expects other countries, in particular neighboring countries, to be committed to their responsibilities and the principle of proportionality and avoidance of undue effect of their actions on international business and traffic. By doing so, countries must contribute to the generality and applicability of international regulations.

Iran has invited managers and experts from the World Health Organization (WHO) to visit Iran’s health, medical and therapeutic facilities and provide it with additional advice and experience of other countries in the fight against the virus. This ensures that WHO standards are fully implemented in Iran. The Islamic Republic of Iran also invites the managers and experts of the Ministries of Health of all countries to visit the medical, health-care facilities and capabilities of Iran so that they can be assured of that. Therefore, the Islamic Republic of Iran declares its full readiness for any international cooperation in this regard. It is worth noting that the World Health Organization has endorsed Iran’s “fundamental ability” to manage the problem.

In fact, in line with our international commitments, Iran’s efforts and actions are not only to protect the health of the Iranian people but to maintain health security for the entire region and we do not allow the health of the countries in the region to be endangered.

As Iran has always emphasized, US unilateral and illegal sanctions are also a threat to international health security. One can see a practical example of this happening in this critical condition that has involved more than 30 countries in the world. So that these sanctions could endanger health security by depriving the Iranian people of access to adequate health facilities, medicines, and appropriate medical care. We hope that US unilateral actions and political pressure will not again hinder the transfer of international aid to Iran and provide an excuse to impede the continuation of friendly relations and regional cooperation.

The Embassy of the Islamic Republic of Iran requests free and truth-seeking media to pursue and release relevant news and information exclusively from credible, authentic and official sources and to refrain from spreading rumors and fabricated news.