COVID-19 battle during the toughest sanctions against Iran
Authors: Amirhossein Takian, Azam Raoofi, Sara Kazempour-Ardebili
Journal: The Lancet (2020)

Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has spread rapidly throughout the world. WHO declared the outbreak a global pandemic on March 11, 2020.1WHOWHO Director-General's opening remarks at the media briefing on COVID-19 - 11 March 2020.https://www.who.int/dg/speeches/detail/who-director-general-s-opening-remarks-at-the-media-briefing-on-covid-19---11-march-2020Date: March 11, 2020Date accessed: March 12, 2020Google Scholar In Iran, the first official announcement of deaths from COVID-19 was made on Feb 19, 2020. As of March 16, 2020, 14 991 people have been infected with severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2, and 853 people have died from COVID-19. 4996 people have recovered.2Iranian Ministry of Health and Medical EducationCOVID-19 daily epidemiology journal.http://webda.behdasht.gov.ir/uploads/factsheet%204.%2026.12%20-%20fa.pdfDate: March 16, 2020Google Scholar The economic loss caused by the spread of COVID-19 in Iran coincides with the ever-highest politically induced sanctions against the country. Although various sanctions have been in place for the past four decades, since May, 2018, the unilateral sanctions imposed by the USA against Iran have increased dramatically to an almost total economic lockdown, which includes severe penalties for non-US companies conducting business with Iran. The Iranian health sector, although among the most resilient in the region,3Doshmangir L Bazyar M Majdzadeh R Takian A So Near, so far: four decades of health policy reforms in Iran, achievements and challenges.Arch Iran Med. 2019; 22: 592-605PubMed Google Scholar has been affected as a consequence.4Kokabisaghi F Assessment of the effects of economic sanctions on Iranians' right to health by using Human Rights Impact Assessment Tool: a systematic review.Int J Health Policy Manag. 2018; 7: 374-393Crossref PubMed Scopus (91) Google Scholar All aspects of prevention, diagnosis, and treatment are directly and indirectly hampered, and the country is falling short in combating the crisis.5The New HumanitarianHow countries in crisis can prepare for a coronavirus epidemic.https://www.thenewhumanitarian.org/interview/2020/03/12/qa-who-michael-ryan-coronavirus-countries-crisis-conflictDate: March 12, 2020Date accessed: March 12, 2020Google Scholar Lack of medical, pharmaceutical, and laboratory equipment such as protective gowns and necessary medication has been scaling up the burden of the epidemic and the number of casualties. Despite WHO and other international humanitarian organisations dispatching supplies and medical necessities,6World Health OrganizationWHO team arrives in Tehran to support the COVID-19 response.http://www.emro.who.int/irn/iran-news/who-team-arrives-in-tehran-to-support-the-covid-19-response.htmlDate: March 2, 2020Date accessed: March 3, 2020Google Scholar the speed of the outbreak and the detrimental effects of sanctions have resulted reduced access to life-saving medicines and equipment, adding to the health sector's pre-existing requirements for other difficult health conditions.7Cheraghali AM Impacts of international sanctions on Iranian pharmaceutical market.DARU Journal of Pharmaceutical Sciences. 2013; 21: 64Crossref PubMed Scopus (48) Google Scholar It is shameful that besides the lives lost to this deadly virus, extreme sanctions limit access to necessary materials and therefore kill even more Iranian people. Although sanctions do not seem to be physical warfare weapons, they are just as deadly, if not more so. Jeopardising the health of populations for political ends is not only illegal but also barbaric. We should not let history repeat itself; more than half a million Iraqi children and nearly 40 000 Venezuelans were killed as a result of UN Security Council and US sanctions in 1994 and 2017–18, respectively.8Salamati P Chaufan C The harsh effects of sanctions on Iranian health.Lancet. 2019; 394: 1990-1991Summary Full Text Full Text PDF PubMed Scopus (10) Google Scholar The global health community should regard these sanctions as war crimes and seek accountability for those who impose them. Given the COVID-19 pandemic and its alarming outcomes in Iran,9WHONovel Coronavirus (2019-nCoV) situation report - 55.https://www.who.int/docs/default-source/coronaviruse/situation-reports/20200315-sitrep-55-covid-19.pdf?sfvrsn=33daa5cb_6Date: March 15, 2020Date accessed: March 16, 2020Google Scholar the international community must be obliged to stand against the sanctions that are hurting millions of Iranians. It is essential for the UN Security Council and the USA to ease, albeit temporarily, the barriers to providing lifesaving medical supplies to Iran. In the future, the global community must anticipate possible impacts of sanctions on humanitarian aid and move to prevent further disasters from happening.4Kokabisaghi F Assessment of the effects of economic sanctions on Iranians' right to health by using Human Rights Impact Assessment Tool: a systematic review.Int J Health Policy Manag. 2018; 7: 374-393Crossref PubMed Scopus (91) Google Scholar Viruses do not discriminate, nor should humankind. This online publication has been corrected. The corrected version first appeared at thelancet.com on April 16, 2020 This online publication has been corrected. The corrected version first appeared at thelancet.com on April 16, 2020 We declare no competing interests. Department of ErrorTakian A, Raoofi A, Kazempour-Ardebili S. COVID-19 battle during the toughest sanctions against Iran. Lancet 2020; 395: 1035–36—In this Correspondence, the year from which US-imposed sanctions against Iran increased was incorrect and should have been 2018, not 2019. The correction has been made to the online version as of April 16, 2020. Full-Text PDF