Independent Senator Bernie Sanders and 32 Democratic senators and members of Congress are calling to reduce US sanctions on Iran to help Tehran deal with the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, a letter to Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and Secretary of the Treasury Steven Mnuchin said on Tuesday
WASHINGTON (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 21st April, 2020) Independent Senator Bernie Sanders and 32 Democratic senators and members of Congress are calling to reduce US sanctions on Iran to help Tehran deal with the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, a letter to Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and Secretary of the Treasury Steven Mnuchin said on Tuesday.
"Rather than continue to invoke new sanctions in the Iranian people's hour of need, we urge you to substantially suspend sanctions on Iran during this global public health emergency in a humanitarian gesture to the Iranian people to better enable them to fight the virus," the letter said.
Congresswomen Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Ilhan Omar and Senator Elizabeth Warren also signed the letter, which was sent two weeks after the Trump administration levied additional sanctions against Iran.
"[W]e encourage the US to find a way to deliver aid directly to the Iranian people to support the Iranian people's fight against Coronavirus, as many other nations have done," the letter said.
In 2003, President George W. Bush eased sanctions and delivered aid to Iran following a deadly earthquake near Bam, the letter noted.
