Iran says US sanctions hindering access to Covid vaccines

President Hassan Rouhani has said US sanctions are making it difficult for Iran to purchase medicine and health supplies from abroad, including Covid-19 vaccines needed to contain the worst outbreak in the Middle East (Iranian Presidency Office/AP)

US sanctions are making it difficult for Iran to purchase medicine and health supplies from abroad, including Covid-19 vaccines needed to contain the worst outbreak in the Middle East, President Hassan Rouhani has said.

President Donald Trump’s administration has imposed crippling sanctions on Iran’s banking sector and its vital oil and gas industry since unilaterally withdrawing the US from Iran’s nuclear deal with world powers in 2018.