Iran’s central bank says it has received support from the U.S. to transfer money to a Swiss account to pay for the vaccines.
Iran has received approval from the United States to transfer money for coronavirus vaccines from abroad, the head of the central bank has said, as his daily death tax fell to a three-month low.
Central Bank Governor Abdolnaser Hemmati said an Iranian bank had enlisted the help of the U.S. Treasury Foreign Fund Control Office to transfer the money to a Swiss bank to pay for the vaccines.
“They [Americans] has imposed sanctions on all our banks. They accepted this same issue under the pressure of world public opinion, ”Hemmati told state TV.
The US had no response in Hemmati’s comments.
Hemmati said Iran would pay nearly $ 244m for an initial import of 16.8 million doses of the vaccines from COVAX, a multi-agency group dedicated to ensuring equitable access to vaccines for income-earning countries low and middle.
Iranian officials have reiterated that U.S. sanctions are preventing them from paying to COVAX, to which some 190 economies have signed up.
Shifa Pharmed of Iran began enrolling volunteers this week for human trials of the first domestic COVID-19 vaccine candidate, Iranian media reported, as there seemed to be a breaking controversy over import practices.
“We do not recommend the administration of foreign coronavirus vaccines to Revolutionary Guard and Basiji staff. [voluntary militia], ”Iranian news agencies reported that Mohammed Reza Naqdi, a deputy leader of the Islamic Revolutionary Defense Corps, has been hardened, says.
Health ministry spokesman Sima Sadat Lari said earlier on state TV that 152 people had died from COVID-19 in Iran in the past 24 hours, the lowest number since Sept. 18. bringing total deaths to 54,308 in the worst-performing country in the Middle East.
The drop in deaths comes after more than a month of nighttime traffic jams and other restrictions in cities. Police said 96,000 fines were issued nationwide on Wednesday for drivers breaking the curfew.
Officials have warned that there is a high risk of relapse into diseases.
US President Donald Trump withdrew from the 2015 nuclear deal between Iran and six global powers in 2018 and imposed new sanctions on the country.
President Joe Biden is coming to power on the possibility that Washington could go back to the agreement.