Iran’s Rouhani Urges IMF to Back $5 Billion Loan for Virus Fight
Iran’s Rouhani Urges IMF to Back $5 Billion Loan for Virus Fight
(Bloomberg) --
Iranian President Hassan Rouhani urged the International Monetary Fund to approve the Islamic Republic’s application for a $5 billion loan to help it fight the coronavirus.
In a cabinet meeting shown on state TV, Rouhani accused the U.S. of engaging in “medical terrorism” because of its sanctions on Iran’s economy and urged the international community to support its bid for financial support from the IMF.
“We are a member of the IMF and we have paid into the fund like other countries,” Rouhani said. “We have a right to have access to this support.”
The U.S. has claimed that its sanctions didn’t prevent aid from reaching Iran while blaming the growing crisis on the Islamic Republic’s mismanagement. The U.S. plans to block the loan request because the Trump administration believes it would allow Iran to divert funds to help its economy or finance militants, Dow Jones reported, citing senior American officials it didn’t name.
Iran has been gripped by one of the worst outbreaks of the pathogen in the world -- almost 4,000 people have died and more than 62,000 have so far been infected, according to the latest Health Ministry figures.
This week, two-thirds of government workers will be allowed to return to work and the country’s parliament also reopened after more than a month.
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