Iranian pedestrians walk while wearing face masks in Tehran on March 10, 2020. (ATTA KENARE / AFP)

TEHRAN/GENEVA - Iranian Parliament Speaker Ali Larijani on Tuesday called for international efforts to lift the "inhuman" US sanctions on Iran amid the raging COVID-19 epidemic.

Larijani issued the call in separate letters to the heads of the Inter-Parliamentary Union, Organization of Islamic Cooperation and Asian Parliamentary Assembly, as well as the parliament speakers of the Asian and Islamic countries, the Tehran Times daily reported.

He denounced the US sanctions for hindering Iran's efforts to fight the COVID-19 epidemic, as the country faces severe shortage of medical supplies due to the sanctions.

The US administration led by President Donald Trump unilaterally quitted the international deal on Iranian nuclear program in May, 2018, and has reimposed all sanctions on Iran in an attempt to force the Islamic republic to renegotiate a deal under the US terms.

Iranian Parliament Speaker Ali Larijani urged the international community to adopt a "principled" stance to urge immediate removal of US sanctions against Iran, especially those on medical supplies

Larijani urged the international community to adopt a "principled" stance to urge immediate removal of US sanctions against Iran, especially those on medical supplies.

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A total of 291 people have died from the novel coronavirus infection in Iran as of Tuesday, while a total of 8,042 people have been infected since the outbreak on Feb 19. 

In Geneva, a senior Chinese diplomat said China urges relevant parties to immediately lift unilateral sanctions against Iran to prevent further harm to the human rights of the Iranian people.

Liu Hua, special representative for human rights of the Chinese Foreign Ministry, told the ongoing 43rd session of the UN Human Rights Council on Monday that imposing external mechanisms without the consent of the countries concerned is not conducive to dialogue and cooperation, and does not play a role in promoting and protecting human rights.

China urges relevant parties to immediately lift unilateral sanctions against Iran to prevent further harm to the human rights of the Iranian people, said a senior Chinese diplomat at the 43rd session of the UN Human Rights Council

The unilateral sanctions imposed by relevant countries on Iran have had a significant negative impact on the human rights of the Iranian people, and have also restricted the United Nations and other organizations from providing humanitarian assistance to Iran, she said. 

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The unilateral sanctions imposed by relevant countries on Iran have had a significant negative impact on the human rights of the Iranian people, and have also restricted the United Nations and other organizations from providing humanitarian assistance to Iran, she said. 

The Chinese diplomat highlighted that it is crucial time at this moment for the Iranian government and its people to fight the COVID-19 epidemic. 

"China is providing support to the Iranian side within its capacity, including providing testing kits and other anti-epidemic materials, and sending a team of volunteer experts to help Iran fight the epidemic. China also calls on all parties to strengthen cooperation with Iran on epidemic prevention," Liu said.

She also highlighted that China has always advocated that all countries should address human rights issues through constructive dialogue and cooperation, oppose politicization, selectivity, double standards, and confrontational practices, and does not support the practice of "naming and shaming" and publicly pressuring.