The US State Department shot down “inaccurate” reports claiming the Trump administration would soon be granting special sanctions exceptions to give Iran access to cash assets as it struggles to fight the coronavirus, according to Washington Free Beacon.

The United States had “agreed to grant sanctions waivers to some countries allowing them to release frozen Iranian assets in order to help Tehran buy medicine and equipment to fight the coronavirus,” according to a report late Friday in Middle Eastern Eye that cited “sources.”

Scores of Iranian assets are currently frozen in many European bank accounts due to the Trump administration’s tough sanctions regime on Iran.

The State Department slapped down these reports as false when asked by the Free Beacon to address the matter.

“These reports are inaccurate,” a State Department official told the Free Beacon.

Over the past week, the international community has been making calls on the US to lift the illegal sanctions, which have hampered Tehran’s access to lifesaving medical supplies as the country is trying to contain the coronavirus and help treat the patients.

On March 26, the lawmakers sent a letter to Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and Secretary of the Treasury Steven Mnuchin to denounce the administration’s “maximum pressure” campaign amid the country’s efforts to tackle the covid-19 outbreak along with the rest of the world countries.

The letter was signed amid global calls on Washington to put an end to the illegal sanctions.

According to the latest reports by Iran’s Ministry of Health, the death toll from the novel coronavirus outbreak, officially known as COVID-19, in Iran has risen to 2378 with 32,332 confirmed cases and 11,133 recovered.

Morgan Ortagus, a US State Department spokeswoman, said in a statement on Thursday that “Iraq is permitted to engage in financial transactions related to the import of electricity from Iran” under US-issued sanctions waivers.

“The purpose of these waivers, which the US is renewing today, is to meet the immediate energy needs of the people in Iraq,” she added.

The extension is for 30 days, the shortest extension yet for Iraq, and will be the last extension issued, according to AFP.

The US, at the same time, imposed new sanctions against 20 entities based in Iran and Iraq. Ortagus claimed that these entities were exploiting Iraq’s dependence on Iran as an electricity source.

Over the past week, the international community has been making calls on the US to lift the illegal sanctions, which have hampered Tehran’s access to lifesaving medical supplies as the country is trying to contain the coronavirus and help treat the patients.

Meanwhile, Iran has roundly denounced the US claims for sending aid as hypocritical, saying if the US genuinely sought to help, it should lift its sanctions targeting the Islamic Republic.

According to Health Ministry spokesman Kianoush Jahanpour, 2,926 new cases of infection were confirmed in the 24 hours to Friday noon. He said 144 people also died in the 24-hour period, increasing the death toll to 2,378.

The spokesman said the total number of confirmed cases now stands at 32,332, out of whom 11,133 have recovered and been discharged from hospital.