US to continue with economic sanctions on Iran despite epidemic: Pompeo

US hawkish Secretary of State Mike Pompeo claims Washington will continue with its economic sanctions against Iran as part of its attempts to bring about regime change.

According to Press TV, in a news conference at the US State Department on Tuesday, Pompeo once again raised baseless allegations about Iranian support for terrorism and said Washington would press on with its sanctions against the Islamic Republic until Tehran “had a change in outlook.”

“Iran will remain under sanctions and Tehran must change its behavior and the Iranian people must understand the importance of taking this step in order to change their system,” he claimed.

The US secretary of state accused Iran of seeking to develop nuclear weapons in spite of repeated confirmation by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) that Iran is involved in no activity to make an atomic bomb.

US President Donald Trump reinstated nuclear sanctions on Iran in May 2018 after he unilaterally left a nuclear deal, known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), signed between Iran and the 5+1 group in 2015.

The International Court of Justice (ICJ) — known as the World Court — has ordered the US to lift the sanctions it has illegally re-imposed on humanitarian supplies to Iran.

Tehran has said it does not want Washington’s help in the fight on the coronavirus epidemic but says the illegal economic sanctions are hampering its efforts to access much-needed medical supplies.

ME