Russia, Iran discuss anti-virus cooperation

By Elena Teslova

MOSCOW (AA) - Russian and Iranian foreign ministers discussed cooperation in combatting the coronavirus pandemic in a phone talk on Monday, according to an official statement.

Sergey Lavrov and his Iranian counterpart Mohammad Javad Zarif stressed that the restrictions on the delivery of drugs and essential goods were unacceptable, the Russian Foreign Ministry said in a statement published on its official website.

"The ministers paid special attention to the tasks of multilateral coordination in the fight against coronavirus infection, including the rejection of illegal unilateral sanctions and other restrictions on the supply of medicines and essential goods," read the statement.

Lavrov and Zarif also discussed the recent developments in Afghanistan and Yemen, stressing the necessity of boosting the UN efforts to settle the conflicts.

Iran is one of the countries worst hit by the global coronavirus epidemic. The situation in the country is complicated, as the government cannot buy necessary drugs and medical equipment because of the U.S. sanctions.

Russia repeatedly called on the U.S. to loosen the restrictions at least for the time of pandemic for humanitarian purposes.

Since appearing in China last December, the virus has spread to at least 185 countries and regions, according to figures compiled by the U.S.-based Johns Hopkins University's Coronavirus Resource Center.

Some 1.8 million cases of COVID-19 have been confirmed worldwide, with more than 115,000 deaths and 440,000 recoveries.