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Iranwire – Iran’s deputy health minister warned that international sanctions have severely disrupted the country’s medical supply chain, threatening progress in controlling infectious diseases including AIDS, tuberculosis, and malaria.
Alireza Raisi told an online meeting of the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria coordinating committee that sanctions have blocked not only financial resources but also the purchase of essential medical items through banking restrictions, transportation limits, and export licensing requirements.
“People’s health should not be sacrificed to political pressures,” Raisi said.
He said the restrictions directly affect patient diagnosis and treatment, posing a threat to public health in Iran and the region.
Even equipment purchased through international channels now enters the country with significant delays, he said.
Raisi said the Global Fund has become virtually the only remaining pathway for obtaining diagnostic kits and vital medicines.
He warned that without change, disease control programs that have advanced in recent years face potential setbacks.
The United States withdrew from the 2015 nuclear agreement between Iran and world powers during President Donald Trump’s first term and imposed sweeping sanctions.
The 10-year accord collapsed last month after France, Britain, and Germany activated a snapback mechanism, restoring suspended U.N. sanctions against Iran.
Medical supplies are generally exempt from sanctions, but banking and shipping restrictions often complicate their delivery.
