"As the President of the Islamic Republic of Iran's Academy of Medical Sciences, which has a duty to monitor the health of our citizens, I would like to declare a number of points to you regarding the outrageous sanctions against our innocent people," Marandi, a former health minister and parliament member, wrote in a letter to Mogherini.
"The illegal sanctions based on evidence and documentation and as stated in the several correspondences that I have had with the UN Secretary-General, have limited the access to medicine and vital medical equipment leading to critical health conditions and the death of many innocent patients," he highlighted.
"The use of brutal sanctions has led to a reduction in the value of the national currency, a decrease in the public's purchasing power, and rising prices. As a result, providing affordable healthy food for many people has become problematic. Therefore, the US-led economic warfare and terrorism has had a direct impact on the health of the community," Marandi cautioned.
"Major events, such as flooding in parts of our country in recent months, have seriously damaged houses and living conditions for many people, and unfortunately, cruel sanctions have prevented international financial aid and even aid from fellow Iranians abroad to reach the people in need. Meanwhile, soaring summer temperatures increase the risk of an outbreak of contagious diseases among these people," he went on saying.
"Given the above, what is certain is that the problems related to supplying food and medicine cannot be solved through the utterly inadequate and unreliable mechanisms you intend to create. The entire sanctions regime must be lifted or ignored, our oil exported, and normal banking and financial exchanges resumed in accordance with the nuclear deal in order to resolve these problems. The compassionate and hardworking medical community in the Islamic Republic of Iran, over the last forty years, has been struggling for the wellbeing of our people. This was especially evident during the imposed war when western countries provided Saddam Hussein with chemical weapons and as numerous layers of illegal and inhumane sanctions were imposed. This question will always remain in the minds of our medical community, why should our people suffer under these barbaric sanctions while the self-proclaimed champions of human rights are silent and complicit," he highlighted.
Late in May, the Academy of Medical Sciences of Iran, in a letter to UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres, complained that the United States' unilateral sanctions against the Iranian nation had adversely affected the medical treatment of Iranian patients, deploring that the American bans have blocked the flow of international humanitarian aid to flood-hit victims of the country.
On May 08, 2018, President Donald Trump unilaterally pulled the US out of the 2015 nuclear deal with Iran, officially named the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), and unleashed the "toughest ever" economic sanctions against Tehran.
Officially, the measures exempt humanitarian goods, such as medicine and medicinal instruments. But in reality, they have had negative impacts on Iran's health sector and restricted the country's access to medical and health services.
Back in April, Iran's First Vice President Eshaq Jahangiri voiced concern over the impacts of the US sanctions on supplying drugs and medical equipment for the patients in the country, calling on the international bodies to stand against Washington's illegal policies.