Press TV - It�s a letter that should never be returned to the sender. That�s according to the head of Iran�s Medical Council. Speaking to Press TV, Mohammadreza Zafarghandi said as result of the US sanctions, innocent people are dying in Iran because the import of medicine has been banned amid the coronavirus pandemic.

This came after he wrote a letter to the United Nations warning the international body that the sanction regime on medicine is hurting those infected by the deadly virus.

The Iranian official went on to accuse Washington of lying about exemption of drugs and food from sanctions against Iran, saying that the banking restrictions have made imports of medicine impossible.

He said Washington is responsible for the acute shortage of medicine needed for the treatment of coronavirus patients and that its brutal sanctions must be lifted.

Iran has emptied its streets, stores and roads to slow the spread of the outbreak. The country�s Armed Forces have also made available hospitals and clinics to conduct the medical examination of suspected patients, provide the infected with medicine and protective gear, or hospitalize them.

All public places are disinfected on a regular basis, while all schools and universities remain closed and social events have been canceled.

Over the past few weeks, calls have been growing on the world stage for the US to lift its illegal sanctions on Iran amid the coronavirus pandemic. Many governments say the sanction regime has severely affected Iran�s health care system at a time when all countries need to join forces to fight against the pandemic.