China, Iran lead UN push for US sanctions relief during pandemic

China and Iran led a group of countries in a joint push Thursday for the UN to pressure Washington to lift sanctions, which they charged are hindering the global fight against COVID-19. "We urge you to request the complete and immediate lifting of such illegal, coercive and arbitrary measures of economic pressure (...) in order to ensure the full, effective and efficient response of all members of the international community to the coronavirus," they said in a letter addressed to UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres.

Dated Wednesday, the letter was published on Twitter by the Iranian mission to the UN. The letter does not specifically mention Washington but all eight signatories currently face US sanctions.

The signatories said they want to "reject the politicization of such a pandemic." In addition to Iran and China, two of the countries most affected by the coronavirus, the signatories include Russia, Venezuela, North Korea, Nicaragua, Cuba, and Syria.