Iran should allow humanitarian assistance for COVID-19: US

The United States on Wednesday said that Iran should accept the humanitarian assistance for the COVID-19 outbreak in the country, following Tehran's refusal of foreign help on the ground to deal with the coronavirus from a France-based medical charity.

"Iran should allow humanitarian assistance for #COVID19. The US sanctions exempt humanitarian trade, but Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khamenei rejected multiple US offers of medical assistance. Cash only helps to fund Iran's malign activities, not people's need," US Department of State wrote on Twitter.

The medical charity had offered to build a 50-bed hospital, as the country's death toll from the coronavirus neared 2,000.

Alireza Vahabzadeh, the adviser to Iran's health minister, said: "Due to Iran's national mobilisation against the virus and the full use of the medical capacity of the armed forces, it is not necessary for now for hospital beds to be set up by foreign forces, and their presence is ruled out," reported Al Jazeera.

Doctors Without Borders (MSF) said on Sunday it planned to send a nine-member team and equipment to set up a 50-bed hospital, stirring opposition from ultra-conservative circles in the country.

Health ministry spokesman Kianoush Jahanpour earlier said a record 1,762 new cases were confirmed in Iran over the past 24 hours with 24,811 people infected.

He announced 122 new deaths from the virus, raising the official toll to 1,934 in one of the world's worst-hit countries.