Sanctions don't apply to emergencies, Iran to get all help to fight COVID-19: WHO D-G

World Health Organisation's (WHO) Director-General (D-G) Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus on Sunday said that the sanctions against Iran do not apply to emergencies and that Tehran would get all help it needed to fight with the novel coronavirus outbreak.

"In an emergency situation, we could give them the support they need ... So the best would be addressing the current issue and providing all supports that they need and in the process for the sanctions not to affect it ... Sometimes when you bring it with other issues you lose focus, and you don't do what's at hand. So let's do what's at hand ...Let's really focus on this and make sure that there is nothing on our way to fight or respond to this outbreak effectively," Ghebreyesus said at the 2nd Riyadh International Humanitarian Forum.

He stressed that there should be global coordination on the issues and pointed out that "together we can defend this."

"We need to fight it because it's everybody. Everybody should stand as one. On sanction and emergency situations it is [sanctions] not applied," Ghebreyesus added.

The Director-General further noted that Tehran will receive all necessary support to fight the epidemic outbreak.

"So, we are working and we will give all the support Iran needs to the outbreak. On COVID issues it's better to focus on COVID, the outbreak and whether we do it best to address this," he said.

The novel coronavirus was first detected in China in late December and has since spread to more than 50 countries, prompting the WHO to declare a global health emergency.

The virus has so far infected more than 79,000 people in mainland China, while over 2,800 people died and nearly 40,000 have recovered. As per the latest WHO data, the number of those infected outside China has reached 4,691, while 67 people have died.