Iran writes to India, highlights US sanctions impacting fight against coronavirus crisis

Iranian President Hassan Rouhani has written to Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi over American sanctions impacting fight against coronavirus crisis in the west Asian country. The Iranian leader wrote to other global leaders as well. 

In a tweet, Iran's foreign minister Javad Zarif said, "In letter to counterparts @HassanRouhani informs how efforts to fight #COVID19 pandemic in Iran have been severely hampered by US sanctions, urging them to cease observing them: It is IMMORAL to let a bully kill innocents," adding that "Viruses recognize no politics or geography. Nor should we."

The US had put sanctions on Iran in November of 2018 after leaving from the Iran deal on May 8, 2018.  The Iran deal or the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) was an agreement that came in to being in 2015 after talks between 5 permanent members of UN Security council --US, Russia, China, Britain, France & European Union, Germany & Iran. The deal led to the removal of UN sanctions on Iran with the latter committing to curtailing its nuclear programme.

Due to US sanctions, anyone importing oil from Iran will also be sanctioned, thus impacting Tehran economically in a major way. While US sanctions made no exceptions, India got wavier for the Chabahar project in which New Delhi got stakes.

The port got major Indian investments and is helping India connect with landlocked Afghanistan. The port got functional last year and has been helping drive trade and connectivity between India and Afghanistan.