Washington imposed new sanctions on Tehran, and extended the period of exclusion granted to Iraq from sanctions dealing with Iran, and Tehran considered it was subjected to "economic terrorism", amid international warnings of the impact of the sanctions on fighting the Corona epidemic.
The US Treasury has announced new sanctions against Iran as part of the anti-terrorism program, and it includes five companies based in Iraq and Iran, and 15 people who are related to the companies or are affiliated with the Quds Force and the Hezbollah Brigades.
The ministry added that those involved in smuggling weapons to Iraq and Yemen, and selling Iranian oil to the Syrian regime, as part of their work in the areas of shipping, trade, construction, and chemicals.
"Iran uses a network of companies that operate as a front to finance terrorist groups across the region and divert resources away from the Iranian people, to give priority," Treasury Secretary Stephen Mnuchin said in a statement.
To its terrorist agents at the expense of the basic needs of its people. "
Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif accused the United States of continuing what he called economic terrorism against his country.
Zarif added on Twitter that Washington appeared to want a catastrophic outbreak of the Corona virus, and that it was morally necessary for countries not to comply with the sanctions.
Ambassadors from Iran, Russia, China, Cuba, North Korea, Syria, Venezuela and Nicaragua sent a letter to the United Nations to the Secretary-General of the organization, Antonio Guterres, in which they emphasized that US sanctions impede the ability of governments to combat the spread of the Corona virus.
An exception for Iraq
On the other hand, the US State Department extended the exclusion period granted to Iraq from the sanctions related to dealing with Iran, on which Baghdad depends to import energy, without specifying the period, but Baghdad officials said that the extension is thirty days.
This exception has been continuing since November, pending finding an alternative for Iran, which supplies electricity to Iraq.
An official in the office of the President of the Republic of Iraq told the French Press that this extension would be the "last" granted to Iraq, which stands on the brink of an economic crisis with low oil prices, which could lead to the loss of 65% of its oil revenues, which constitute 90% of the state budget.