Oct. 12, 2020 US claim rejected ’s Health Minister Saeid Namaki strongly rejected the United States’ claim that it has exempted humanitarian trade from sanctions against Iran, 2 Fars News Agency reported. National

Enemy’s sanctions aim to block Iran registers record 251 Iran exports: Defense minister Iran’s defense minister said the latest round of US sanctions, daily coronavirus deaths which targets Iran’s financial sector and major banks, is aimed at blocking the country’s exports, but will not have any effect on the Islamic Republic. “During recent days, they [Americans] imposed new sanc- Ministry plans to mandate mask beyond capital tions on our country, but these sanctions are of no importance to us. The enemy does not sanction us to prevent our access to ran announced on Sunday its make mask-wearing mandatory anything. Their sanctions are aimed at blocking our exports, highest single-day death toll in public in other large cities af- because they are afraid of our exports,” Brigadier General Ifrom the coronavirus with ter imposing it in to fight Hatami said on Sunday, Press TV reported. 251 confirmed dead. the coronavirus infections. On Thursday, the United States targeted Iran’s financial Health Ministry spokesperson Mask-wearing became man- sector by imposing sanctions on 18 Iranian banks. Sima Sadat Lari said the total datory in public in the capital on Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin claimed that the US confirmed death toll now stands Saturday and President Hassan sanctions would “stop illicit access to US dollars”. at 28,544. Rouhani announced that viola- The Trump administration has claimed humanitarian goods Iran had just recently recorded tors would be fined, as the coun- are exempt from its sanction, but a web of sanctions tied around its highest daily death toll four try battles a third wave of coro- Iran over years has made foreign banks and companies extreme- days earlier with 239 new fatali- navirus infections. ly wary of engaging in any trade with the country. ties. “It has been decided that this A further 3,822 new cases action would start from Teh- were confirmed from Saturday ran and will be extended to to Sunday, raising recorded na- other large cities in the coming tionwide cases to 500,075. Near- weeks,” Namaki said in remarks ly 4,500 patients are in critical carried by state television. condition. Masks have been compulsory Among those recently in- in indoor public spaces since July. fected is the head of the Atomic Universities, boarding schools, Energy Organization of Iran, the seminaries, language schools, latest senior official to test posi- GETTY IMAGES vocational schools, educational tive for the virus. ism Minister Ali Asghar Moune- institutions, libraries, mosques, MEHR , who is also san and the former industry min- museums, theaters, zoos, theme Iran’s Defense Minister Brigadier General a vice , had ister . parks, aqua parks, swimming confirmed positive for the virus Iran has been contending pools, banquet halls, wedding According to Bloomberg, the new measures could sharply last week and has been in home with the deadliest pandemic venues, coffee shops, teahouses hinder Iran’s ability to secure supplies of food and medicine quarantine since. the world has seen in many de- and hair salons in Tehran closed at a time the country struggles to contain a resurgence of the The country’s Head of Plan cades amid illegal US sanctions, for a week on Oct. 3 in an effort coronavirus outbreak. and Budget Organization Mo- which have seriously hampered to curb the spread of the virus. The Iran’s President said on Friday that the hammad Baqer Nobakht had efforts to stem the outbreak. city’s Governor General Anoushi- new sanctions imposed by the United States on the Iranian also tested positive for the coro- After declining for weeks, the ravan Mohseni-Bandpey extend- banking sector amount to an effort of a ‘terrorist, cruel and navirus. IRNA TASNIM deaths and infections have been ed the restrictions on Friday for inhumane’ nature aimed at putting major obstacles to fund Meanwhile, Iran has seen Mohammad Baqer Nobakht Ali Akbar Salehi on the rise in Iran since the be- another week. transfers for the purchase of medicine and food amid the several top officials contract the ginning of September. coronavirus pandemic. virus over past months, includ- Jahangiri and Vice President of cabinet ministers have also Health Minister Saeid Nama- AP and Reuters contributed to “Everyone is witnessing that Washington’s move is in full ing First Vice President Es’haq . A number tested positive, including Tour- ki said on Sunday Iran plans to this story. violation of international law; and in these times of the coro- navirus pandemic, the White House’s attitude is completely against humanity; and the so-called advocates of human rights should condemn it globally,” Rouhani said in a phone call with Governor of the Central Bank of Iran (CBI) Abdol- Iran using all its power to defend Yemeni people naser Hemmati. Elsewhere in his remarks, Hatami said the Iranian nation Senior Assistant to the Iranian Foreign men amid the outbreak of the coronavi- would never forget such hostile act, “because they have sav- Minister for Special Political Affairs rus pandemic. agely imposed economic terrorism on our nation at this junc- Ali Asghar Khaji said that Iran spares Saudi Arabia and a number of its re- ture.” no effort to defend the oppressed peo- gional allies launched the war on Ye- “Today, the Iranian nation is suffering from sanctions at ple of Yemen in the international arena. men in March 2015, with the goal of a time that many nations have easy access to medicine, sci- In a virtual meeting with Foreign bringing the government of former ence, technology and resources. Under such conditions, the Minister of the Yemeni National Sal- president Abd Rabbuh Mansour Hadi enemies have done their best to deprive our nation from its vation Government Hisham Sharaf back to power and crush the popular most basic rights,” the Iranian defense chief added. Abdullah, the Iranian official said Iran Houthi movement. “The enemies should know that they will never be able is using all its capacity to defend the The US-based Armed Conflict Loca- to force the Iranian nation into submission, because we are oppressed people of Yemen in the in- tion and Event Data Project (ACLED), aware of the history of our country and the world, and we ternational arena through constant re- a nonprofit conflict-research organiza- know any retreat in the confrontation with such savage crea- gional and international consultations, tion, estimates that the war has claimed tures will entail nothing but humiliation,” Iran’s defense chief according to IRNA. more than 100,000 lives for over the Ali Asghar Khaji Hisham Sharaf Abdullah said. Khaji also underscores Iran’s stance past five years. of settlement of the ongoing crisis in Yemen amid the Saudi-led military ag- arena and its contacts with the United The Houthi movement, backed by Yemen through political means. gression. Nations to condemn the Saudi-led co- armed forces, has been defending Ye- The Yemeni official, for his part, He also gave a report on the latest alition’s crimes in Yemen, including men against the Saudi-led alliance, pre- praised Iran for providing political and measures the National Salvation Gov- the continued aggression and seizure of venting the aggressors from fulfilling humanitarian support for the people of ernment has taken in the international ships carrying fuel and foodstuff to Ye- the objectives of their deadly campaign.

Mohammad Ali Rajabi Gas explosion kills five Iranian official: in SW Iran Trump’s insults show failure of sanctions

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“That’s why he makes such remarks which is for domestic consumption,” Kharrazi continued. Iran’s Foreign Ministry spokesman Saeed Khatibzadeh also responded to Trump, tweeting that the Iranians would not be in- timidated and would rather “choose response to US crimes.” “The Iranian people aren’t intimidated by the bullying rhetoric of the failing & lawless US regime. Our people leave no stone unturned in defending Iran’s dignity. WE will choose response to US crimes— including sadistic sanctions,” Khatibzadeh tweeted. The spokesperson for Iran’s permanent mission to the also dismissed the US president’s words as electioneer- ing. “Mr. Trump’s attempt to portray himself as a tough guy is unsurprising as the presidential election in America is fast ap- proaching,” Alireza Miryousefi told the US weekly, Newsweek. IRNA Tensions between the US and Iran have run particularly high Rescue workers are searching the scene of a gas explosion in a marketplace in southwestern city of Ahvaz in throughout the Trump presidency after he pulled Washington Khuzestan Province on October 11, 2020. out of a multilateral nuclear deal in 2018 and unleashed a tough A gas explosion flattened a building and shops in struction of a two-story residential building… campaign of sanctions and military threats against the Islamic a marketplace in southwest Iran on Sunday, kill- and four nearby residential buildings and six Republic. ing at least five people. shops,” Ebrahim Qanbari, head of the fire de- The US has in recent months tightened its inhumane sanctions State television showed rescue teams look- partment in Ahvaz, was quoted as saying by against Iran, defying warnings from Tehran and international hu- ing for survivors in the rubble of the two-story IRNA. man rights organizations that the restrictions are severely ham- residential building located near a historic mar- Four men and one woman were killed and nine pering the Iranian health sector’s fight against the coronavirus ketplace in the old district of the city of Ahvaz, people were injured, Qanbari said. pandemic. capital of oil-rich Khuzestan Province, Reuters He said that the rescue operation has finished. On Thursday, the US Treasury Department imposed sanctions reported. Authorities have launched an investigation to on 18 Iranian banks with an aim to cut off the Islamic Republic “The gas explosion led to the complete de- find out the cause of the explosion. from the world’s financial system.