"Our country has been under sanctions for years and the sanctions have sorely increased in the past two years and the area of sanctions have extended against our country by the Europeans and Americans, but despite sanctions we could act successfully by using our past experiences in the (8-year Iraqi-imposed) war and smart management and after a while, we were even able to export anti-coronavirus medical equipment to the European states, too," Iran's Deputy Judiciary Chief for International and Human Rights Baqeri said on Sunday.
He added that the European states are as much as the US an accomplice in imposing sanctions against Iran.
Baqeri explained that during his recent meeting with the European countries' ambassadors to Tehran, he has underlined that Iran does not allow human rights to be contaminated with politics.
"We practically taught human rights to these countries by exporting anti-coronavirus equipment to them," he said.
Meanwhile, Head of the Iranian Health Ministry's Information Department Kianoush Jahanpour said that his country has the most equipped and highest number of laboratories to diagnose coronavirus among the countries of the Eastern Mediterranean Region (EMRO).
"Today, over 130 laboratories conduct confirmed tests (on coronavirus patients) in conditions of sanctions and except a number of Persian Gulf (Arab) littoral states which have bought services (from other countries), no country in the EMRO region has such a laboratorial structure," Jahanpour told FNA on Sunday.
He added that certain countries were deliberately after troubling Iran's anti-coronavirus structure, but they failed.
Jahanpour said that Iran's relative success in screening people for coronavirus infection in March and April has turned into a role model for a number of countries, including Britain, adding, "Our method to identify and treat patients in our country was useful, inexpensive and based on the existing infrastructure."
Furthermore, Iranian President Hassan Rouhani said on Sunday that mask-wearing will be mandatory in closed-door areas and public places as of next week.
"It has been decided that certain measures be adopted so that wearing masks will be mandatory in places of gathering or covered areas from July 5 to 21. If necessary, this approval will be extended to August 21," Rouhani said, addressing a meeting of the national coronavirus campaign headquarters in Tehran.
Elsewhere, he referred to the impacts of coronavirus on different European countries and the US while they were not like Iran under different pressures and sanctions.
"Today's conditions in the US have increased unemployment by 25%. They were not sanctioned and it's been just the disease (coronavirus) that has left such an impact on their economy," Rouhani said.
He also said that many Asian and non-Asian countries have witnessed capital outflow after the coronavirus outbreak.
Irans pharmaceutical firms and manufacturers have begun mass production of cotton face masks and hand sanitizer upon a request by the Health Ministry in a bid to push back against the spread of the novel coronavirus.
The Iranian health ministry announced on Sunday that 2,489 new cases of infection to COVID-19 virus have been diagnosed in the country in the past 24 hours, adding that 144 patients have passed away since yesterday.
"2,489 more patients infected with COVID-19 virus have been identified in the country in the past 24 hours based on confirmed diagnosis tests and 1,406 patients have been hospitalized," Iranian Health Ministry Spokeswoman Sima Sadat Lari said on Sunday.
She added that the total number of coronavirus patients in Iran has increased to 222,669.
Sadat Lari expressed pleasure that 183,301 patients have recovered and been discharged from hospitals.
She said that 10,508 people have lost their lives due to infection to the virus, including 144 in the past 24 hours.
Sadat Lari said that 2,946 coronavirus patients are unfortunately in critical conditions, adding that 183,301 patients have recovered and left hospitals.
She said that 1,610,869 coronavirus tests have been conducted in the country so far.
The ministrys spokeswoman, meantime, voiced concern about the increasing number of coronavirus patients in Khuzestan, Kurdistan, West Azarbaijan, Hurmozgan, Kermanshah, Bushehr, Ilam, East Azarbaijan and Khorassan Razavi provinces.
Iranian President Hassan Rouhani said earlier this month that over 1,000 medical centers in the country have received necessary equipment to conduct tests on people suspected of infection to coronavirus, and added that Iran ranks first in the Muslim world in scientific achievements.
"Based on a report [by the health ministry], 1,200 centers across the country are ready to take samples and tests from people and 17,500 nursing and health homes are also prepared to provide hygiene and treatment services to people," Rouhani said, addressing a meeting of the national coronavirus campaign headquarters in Tehran.
The coronavirus COVID-19 is affecting approximately all countries and territories around the world. The virus was first reported in the central Chinese city of Wuhan late last year. It has so far killed more than 501,600 people and infected over 10.1 million others globally.
The Iranian foreign ministry declared that despite Washingtons claims of cooperation to transfer drugs to Iran via the new Swiss-launched payment mechanism, the US is troubling the process amid the coronavirus outbreak in the country.
Although US claims that medicines and medical equipment are not under sanctions, they have practically blocked the transfer of Irans financial resources in other countries into the Swiss Humanitarian Trade Arrangement (SHTA), Iranian Foreign Ministry Spokesman Seyed Abbas Mousavi said.
As the death toll from the virus surges, Iran intensifies its preventive safety measures. Closures of schools and most universities have been extended until further notice.
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