advertisement
Democratic presidential frontrunner Joe Biden has called for the United States to ease sanctions on Iran to reduce suffering as the Islamic republic reels from the coronavirus pandemic. Biden said the United States should set up a dedicated channel for banks and other companies to operate in Iran and issue licenses for the sale of pharmaceuticals and medical devices.
The former vice president also called for guarantees to aid groups that they will not be penalised for operating in Iran – and said Tehran should reciprocate by freeing detained Americans.
"It makes no sense, in a global health crisis, to compound that failure with cruelty by inhibiting access to needed humanitarian assistance," Biden said in a statement on Thursday.
“Artificially limiting the flow of international humanitarian assistance to pursue a political point will not only allow the Iranian government to deflect responsibility for its own botched response, it will increase the threat this virus poses to the American people, now and in the future," he said.
Biden had faced criticism from Sanders supporters by hesitating in a television interview on Sunday from saying if he favoured easing sanctions on Iran.
The Trump administration has proposed US aid to Iran but offered few details and has kept expanding sanctions. The administration insists it has never targeted humanitarian goods, but few banks or exporters outside of China are willing to risk US sanctions by doing business in Iran.
Early in his presidency, Trump withdrew from an accord sealed by former president Barack Obama's administration, in which Biden was vice president, that promised sanctions relief to Iran in return for denuclearisation.
(This story has been published in an arrangement with PTI)
(At The Quint, we question everything. Play an active role in shaping our journalism by becoming a member today.)