Iran's Supreme Leader: "US Offered COVID-19 Aid Multiple Times but Was Rejected"

[Asia Economy Reporter Naju-seok] Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei, the Supreme Leader of Iran, announced that he rejected the United States' offer of assistance related to the novel coronavirus infection (COVID-19). Supreme Leader Khamenei mentioned the surge in COVID-19 patients in the U.S. and said that if they have the capacity, they should first use it for Americans.

[Image source=Yonhap News]

On this day, Supreme Leader Khamenei said through state television, "The United States has offered to help Iran several times," adding, "The U.S. also says it is lacking (in medicines, etc.), which is strange."

He continued, "There are also claims that the U.S. created COVID-19," and said, "I don't know if these claims are true. But would it be wise to accept help offers while such suspicions are raised?"

Supreme Leader Khamenei stated, "Our enemy is the United States," and also said, "The leaders of the United States are terrorists, fraudsters, and liars."

Iran has seen a rapid increase in COVID-19 patients, with confirmed cases reaching 21,638, making it one of the most severely affected countries in the Middle East. In particular, Iran has recorded 1,685 deaths from COVID-19, resulting in a high fatality rate.

The Persian solar calendar's New Year holiday, Nowruz, has begun in Iran. Although the Iranian government urged people to refrain from traveling to prevent the spread of COVID-19, it has been reported that millions of Iranians have started a mass movement to visit their hometowns, tourist sites, and religious shrines.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.