Iranian President Hassan Rouhani said today, Sunday, that his country is witnessing the most difficult year that passes due to the US sanctions that coincided with the Corona pandemic, and announced the imposition of the use of masks in gathering places starting from next week.

The new Corona virus crisis has exacerbated economic problems that have already worsened since US President Donald Trump decided in 2018 to withdraw from the nuclear agreement with Iran and reimpose sanctions.

The Iranian currency fell last Monday to an all-time low against the US dollar.

"It is the most difficult year because of the economic pressure from the enemy and the pandemic," Rouhani said in a televised speech.

"The economic pressure that started in 2018 has increased, and today it is the most severe pressure on our dear country."

He pointed out that European countries and the United States, which do not suffer from the embargo, unlike Iran, are facing Corona's spread, as the unemployment level increased by 25% in America, and the disease reduced its national production and most of the industrialized countries.

He said that the exports of most of these countries decreased last April by 25%, as well as the production of some commodities, such as petrochemicals, by 29%, and cars by 15%.

And the US sanctions reduced Iran's production of crude oil to an average of one million and 900 thousand barrels per day, compared to 3 million and 850 thousand before the sanctions, according to OPEC data, while exports fell to less than 100 thousand barrels per day.

Corona .. a rise in infections
and Iran has witnessed a significant increase in the number of infections and deaths caused by the emerging Corona virus since the lifting of restrictions imposed to contain the spread of the disease gradually since mid-April, where the number of daily deaths recently exceeded 100 for the first time in two months.

The Ministry of Health spokeswoman told official television Sima Sadat Larry that 2489 new cases of infection had been recorded in the past 24 hours, bringing the total number to 222 thousand, and 669 cases. She added that the number of deaths rose to 10, 508 cases, after 144 new cases were registered.

Rouhani said that the use of gags will become mandatory for two weeks, starting next Sunday in "gathering places" that are considered "red areas" due to the spread of the disease in them.

He added during the meeting of the Corona Virus Control Committee that this decision comes with the aim of flattening the curve of the spread of the virus and facing it quickly.

Senior officials have repeatedly warned that restrictions may be imposed again if rules such as social estrangement are not complied with to limit the increasing number of infections.

On Saturday, Iran launched a campaign to encourage citizens to use masks.

Emirati aid The Emirates
sent an aid plane to Iran containing 16 tons of urgent medical supplies, to support it in the face of the Corona virus.

The Emirates News Agency stated that the aid will benefit more than 16 thousand health care workers to enhance their efforts in containing the Corona pandemic.

This plane is the fourth that the UAE has sent to Iran since last March.