Coronavirus is killing people in Yemen more than any other place in the world and the world should be warned that mercy, equity, generosity and human rights have all closed down and been disregarded. All are witnessing this horrible massacre but nobody takes any action.

IRAN NEWS POLITICAL DESK

The World Health Organization (WHO) Regional Director for the Eastern Mediterranean Dr. Ahmed Al-Mandhari in an interview with Russian news agency Sputnik which has been quoted in the Al-Ahed news website has emphasized that Yemen suffers from multiple challenges in facing the “Covid-19” pandemic due to the critical security situation in the country. Saudi Arabia and the UAE after failure in achieving their goals in Yemen are taking revenge from Yemeni people and are obstructing the arrival of humanitarian items for the needy children and women in Yemen.

As health and nutrition exports report, it is predicted in case this cruel besiege of Yemen continues, millions of Yemenis will strive of hunger and famine. Al-Mandhari in this interview has officially warned that the ongoing conflict impeding many support activities and has exhausted the health sector and blocked supplies for some areas. The Omani official of WHO added that the conditions of displacement and asylum have made difficulties and challenges access to health services to those who need.

According to the official published, it can definitely be said that these figures are not even ten percent of the genuine statistics of the infected patients and death tolls. The number of COVID-19 infected Yemenis has been reported 2,177 cases and its death toll until last Wednesday has been 620 that health observers and experts believe this figure cannot be real because of the weak health system and lack of capability in testing in Yemen, and the reported figure cannot be even ten percent of the real figure of the infected or death toll and the number of reported cases of the infected Yemeni is not authentic.

Meanwhile on Tuesday, December 29, United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) announced that due to the Saudi-led coalition’s aggressive war in Yemen and some other factors, so far about 223,000 people have lost their lives in this country. The UN office has repeatedly in different messages and statements officially emphasized that Yemen needs ceasefire.

It is noteworthy to remind that last week UN Special Envoy for Yemen, Martin Griffiths, had warned, “Human condition in Yemen is deteriorating day by day. However we can hinder famine in this country. We need truce and to open the doors of Yemen to the humanitarian aids.” He emphasized, “Despite coronavirus pandemic, we have offered necessary equipment and materials for helping the health sector for fight with COVID-19 and reinforcing laboratory and supervision capability for boosting medical checkup and getting COVID-19 tests. But health sector is still facing with problem in monitoring the COVID-19 infected and conducting necessary tests. So we believe that handling some cases have not been completed or monitored.”

Yemen Foreign Minister in a press conference which was published on Al-Ahed news website for the umpteen time emphasized, “Saudi Arabia is not after stopping the war but we welcome talks for ending the war or even ceasefire.”

That Yemen is today subjected to a huge cruelty then where should we take this fact that the Hebrew-Arab-Western arrogance sees its interests in the continuity of turmoil in any part of the Persian Gulf and Gulf of Aden? Who is to respond to this fact that all of these injustices, due to the international bodies’ defiance, have been showered against Yemeni people whose demand is just the independence of their country for getting out of the Saudis’ yoke?

Indeed, in this belligerence rooted by the hatred of Arab versus Arab, should not we consider Saudis deserving punishment? Undoubtedly and without the smallest hesitation today after years of ruthless massacre of poor Yemeni people, Saudi rulers should stand trial as the war criminal. The Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) Organization and Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) should convene without any delay and as soon as possible, they should take some action to stop war and then to form a fact-finding committee for finding the aggressor and  filing a petition for its trial.

  By: Hamid Reza Naghashian

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IRAN NEWS NATIONAL DESK

TEHRAN – The Iranian minister of health said he has good news about a vaccine being developed in the country for the coronavirus disease, saying the world would hear the news of such a breakthrough in the coming weeks.

Speaking at a press conference in Tehran on Sunday, Saeed Namaki said he has good news about the coronavirus vaccine being made in Iran.

The Health Ministry is going to inform the World Health Organization about Iran’s advances in the process of developing the coronavirus vaccine, he added.

The news of the breakthrough that Iran has made in making the vaccine will be announced to the world as a major national achievement, the minister said.

Officials say a number of vaccines for the novel coronavirus being developed in Iran have successfully passed the human tests and are ready for clinical trial.

Namaki also stated that the U.S. has imposed cruel and aggressive sanctions against the Islamic Republic of Iran.

Responding to question on the impact of U.S. sanctions amid the COVID-19 outbreak, he expressed that the U.S. is telling a blatant lie for not sanctioning Iran’s medicine, and the US is a compulsive liar.

“The U.S. has never waivered sanctions against the Islamic Republic of Iran. Trump administration and his team are the most wild and aggressive administration in the U.S. ever,” he said.

“Despite sanctions, Iran faces no shortage of medicine,” he underlined.

“Iran can produce ‘Remdesivir’ and ‘Favipiravir’ and these medicines are even in the exporting line,” the minister highlighted.

Regarding the new health protocols by the onset of the third wave of the coronavirus outbreak, Iran’s health minister noted that any ignorance to implement the hygienic protocols would end up in disaster, and those who do not implement the protocols would be fined and persecuted officially.

Referring to the infection rate increase, Namaki said: “There are no hospital-bed shortages, but it does not mean that we are allowed to ignore the protocols.”

Referring to vaccine production, Iran’s Health Minister said that Iranians and the whole world would hear good news in the coming week.

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Concerns about economic condition in the U.S. have made think-tanks in the world to look at the future of the U.S. with a few doubts and uncertainties. Huge and unrepayable amount of the U.S. in the condition that the country is facing the Coronavirus pandemic, growing public and national anger towards racism, social gap, and ever-increasing of its isolation on course to pulling out of its global obligations have exacerbated these concerns.

IRAN NEWS POLITICAL DESK

According to reports, the government and non-government debts of the U.S. totaled at 75.28 trillion and if the debts are to be repaid in a period of 10 years, share of each American citizen from the debts will be $227,963 on average and share of each household from the debts would be $900 on average, and since 90 percent of the Americans are grappling with poverty, these debts seem irreparable. The U.S. government debts to the people and countries just equal to one-third of this reported figure and China’s share of these dues is 13.5 percent. So in this declining economic condition in the U.S., it is logical that creditors would think seriously of pulling out their assets from the U.S. By the way, the Republican Party’s policies of administering the country have led to instability and isolation of the country.

The U.S. pullouts of World Health Organization (WHO), the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA), Paris Climate Agreement, Iran’s nuclear deal the JCPOA, and whispers on pulling out of the Open Skies Treaty are all indicators of the U.S. hidden condition and its inability for protecting its hegemonic show-off in the 21^st Century. Meanwhile issues like China’s interference in Hong Kong and Taiwan and accusing China of its weak handling of the Coronavirus pandemic have escalated the tension between both countries.

In Hong Kong, the government and China’s Communist Party proposed the national security law and Washington opposed it. In Taiwan, the U.S. has decided to sell the country $18m of Torpedoes which angered China seriously.

The report of Washington’s torpedoes sale came just after Taiwan President Tsai Ing-wen, during her sworn-in ceremony of her second term in office, had emphasized that she would enhance Taiwan’s defense capabilities. In the Coronavirus issue, Washington leaves the WHO unilaterally by accusing the organization of favoring China. Regardless of those issues, the U.S. has seen a mammoth budget deficit this year whose amount has been revealed to be at over $3.31 trillion. So the ratio of the budget deficit to the gross domestic product (GDP) of the U.S. is nearing to 5 to 6 percent of its national domestic product (NDP) this year.

In a period between 1980 to 2019,the U.S.’s worst budget deficit was registered in 2010 which was 9 percent, and its most budget surplus was registered in 2000 with 2.37 percent of its NDP. Currently the major items in the U.S. budget include $1.26 trillion for healthcare, $1.05 trillion for public security, $677b for defense cost and $289.5b for pensions. All major global financial bodies whose managers are even chosen by the U.S. influence have predicted that the U.S. economy will face with minus 7 percent growth.

All these factors and probably some other ones and statistics which have been kept in secret indicate that creditors are thinking of pulling out their capitals and collecting their debts from the U.S. The spokesman of China’s State Administration of Foreign Exchange (SAFE) Ms. Wang Chunying in an interview with China’s official news agency in January emphasized that in the current condition, China due to its robust financial infrastructure does not need immediately to return its forex reserves to China.

So it is natural that due to the economic chaos and uncertainties in the U.S., China and other countries think of saving their assets from the peril and transfer them to their countries. Recently, Iran and China have decided to operationalize a common interests plan worth $400b in the upcoming years. Of course this decision has angered Washington and Tel Aviv. According to the authentic sources, China is also in talks with Iraqi and Syrian governments to boost its bilateral cooperation, and it shows on the whole that China’s future strategic is wisely to transfer its forex reserves to the West Asia because this region enjoys considerable potentials for investment. Except China, other Arab states, which feel concerned about the fate of their capitals and money in the U.S., have implicitly whispered about putting this issue on their agenda.

 By: Hamid Reza Naghashian

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In nearly past six months since the outbreak of the Coronavirus in China and ultimately its spread in most countries in the world, the U.S. has tried to make a big excuse against China and to lay a ground for an economic war. The U.S.’s challenging pretext in facing with the World Health Organization (WHO) has itself laid the ground for this excuse making.

IRAN NEWS POLITICAL DESK

According to the official statement of the spokesman of China’s State Administration of Foreign Exchange (SAFE) during an interview with Chinese news agency Xinhua, China’s foreign exchange reserves, either in form of securities or cash, in the American banks rose to nearly $3.115 trillion and during the Coronavirus pandemic the figure has increased by 0.02 percent.

The SAFE spokeswoman Wang Chunying in her interview has emphasized that in the current condition, China, due to its robust financial infrastructures, does not need its reserves in the U.S. banks and to some extent she signaled a peace message to Washington, and in her message she revealed the policy of waiting for the fate of the U.S.’s November election in order to show with whom China is to challenge in the White House.

It is interesting that despite decline in exports of China and trade war with the U.S., China’s forex reserves has been seen uptrend in June and according to the SAFE spokesman, China’s foreign exchange reserves rose 0.03 percent in June comparing to January and reached $3.115 trillion.

The Chinese official also said although global political and economic uncertainties are rising, Chinese monetary authority remained optimistic about stable foreign exchange reserves in the future, supported by economic growth within a reasonable range.

Economic analysts believe the increase in China’s forex reserves in the U.S. is because of change in the forex market relations, and they also believe the rise in China’s forex reserves has happened due to different factors like par of exchange rate and changes in the price of the assets.

These kinds of analyses also point to the concerns in the wake of the virus pandemic and its impact on the China’s financial market and East Asian region as well as global events like the BREXIT, and they believe the current economic condition in Europe and the U.S. have caused concern for the White House regarding radical forex decisions.

Perhaps Ms. Wang’s remarks in the interview may have been also some kind of assurance to the White House for alleviating the concerns and reducing tensions. Political experts in the U.S. believe that U.S. President Donald Trump is seeking a political war and even a military clash with China in order to pave the ground for defalcating China’s forex reserves under such a climate and condition. In the past six months, there have been several excuse makings which have intensified the tension between Beijing and Washington. Issues like the U.S. interference in the effective policies in Taiwan, criticizing the security law in Hong Kong and above all , accusing China of its intentional passiveness  in dealing with the Coronavirus and ultimately spreading the virus to the U.S. were of major excuses made by the U.S.

It is interesting that simultaneously with threatening China,Trump accuses Russia, which is one of the world super powers, of violating the open sky treaty. Creating simultaneous hostility with China and Russia can be considered as the doctrine of Cold War and freezing the reserves of the both countries in the current economic turbulence in the U.S.

The U.S. has shown this experience to the world when it is at odd with any country on any pretext, it freezes its forex accounts in its banks. The best proof for this claim is freezing Iran’s accounts and assets in American banks after the victory of the Islamic Revolution and overthrown of Mohammad Reza Shah, the U.S. lackey in Iran.

 By: Hamid Reza Naghashian

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IRAN NEWS NATIONAL DESK

TEHRAN – Health minister says unilateral sanctions imposed on the country by the administration of US President Donald Trump are inhumane and cause suffering and pain for people.

Addressing the 73rd World Health Assembly through video-conference on Monday, Saeed Namaki said, “Any measure or policy, which would prevent cooperation among governments in the health sector, is irresponsible and inhumane.”

“There is no doubt that unilateral sanctions constitute an obstacle and are an inhumane measure, which brings about suffering and pain [for people],” the Iranian minister said, adding, “The United States must be held to account for the severe sanctions that have put the lives of Iranian people in jeopardy.”

He hailed the leading role of the World Health Organization (WHO) in supporting the battle against the COVID-19 pandemic and emphasized that the body deserves to be supported, not punished and criticized by certain countries.

Trump has claimed that the WHO had failed to disclose or respond to “credible” information in December that suggested the virus could be spread through human-to-human transmission.

Elsewhere in his remarks, the Iranian minister stressed the importance of boosting global solidarity and cooperation to contain the coronavirus pandemic, saying it is necessary that all countries have access to medicines and vaccine at an appropriate time and price.

He added that Iran has succeeded in decreasing the coronavirus death toll due to its extensive measures in the public health sector based on the approach that calls for the involvement of “the whole government and the whole society.”

The Iranian minister noted that some 78 million people have been screened for the coronavirus in the country in the first phase with the help of the strong infrastructure of Iran’s primary health care (PHC) system while over 22 million high-risk people have also been screened so far in the second phase.

Iran increased its laboratory capacities in outpatient clinics with the main focus being on screening the patients, social distancing, and timely treatment, and in doing this, the country gradually reopened businesses in order to prevent more harm to the country’s economy, he explained.

Meanwhile yesterday Head of Public Relations and Information Center of the Ministry of Health announced that in the last 24 hours, no patient infected with COVID-19 has died in 10 provinces.

Kianoush Jahanpour yesterday presented the latest statistics regarding the coronavirus.

He said, “According to the reports by laboratories across the country from yesterday to May 19,  2,111 new patients with COVID-19 were diagnosed in which the total number of infected people reaches 124,603.”

Among those number of people infected, 97,173 patients have recovered and have been discharged so far, Jahanpour added.

The Spokesman said, “Unfortunately, in the past 24 hours, 62 COVID-19 patients have lost their lives which is the least number during the last two months.

“Overall 7,119 people have lost their lives in the country to date,” the health official said.

He stated, “2,698 patients are in a critical condition.”

“So far, 716,176 COVID-19 diagnosis tests have been conducted in the country,” according to the spokesman.

In the last 24 hours, no patient infected with COVID-19 has died in 10 provinces and one case has been reported in 6 provinces.

The situation in Khuzestan is still red, but other provinces are relatively stable.

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According To Iran News, The WHO’s top officials in Europe have voiced concerns that a second wave of coronavirus may be inevitable this winter, possibly exacerbated by seasonal flu or a potential measles outbreak.

In the absence of a vaccine, countries that have not been hit as hard as the UK, Italy or Spain should carefully calculate the risks of easing their lockdowns and scrapping social distancing measures, Dr Hans Kluge, the World Health Organization’s (WHO) regional director for Europe, told the Telegraph in an exclusive interview, RT reported.

“We know from history that in pandemics, the countries that have not been hit early on can be hit in a second wave… What are we going to see in Africa and Eastern Europe?,” Kluge said.

Introduced in a bid to contain the spread of the novel coronavirus, the lockdowns delivered a massive blow to economies and left millions of people without jobs. Amid concerns that the cure is getting worse than the disease, countries are now rushing to ease the restrictions at the first signs of a stable downward trend.

Italy, for instance, finally allowed shops to resume operations on Monday, following more than two months of statewide quarantine and nearly 32,000 deaths. Gyms, swimming pools, and sports centers are set to reopen next week, while on June 3 it will even open its borders to European tourists – a plan that has already been slammed by neighboring France as premature.

“People think lockdown is finished. Nothing has changed. The full disease control package has to be in place,” he added.

The possibly of a second wave of the novel coronavirus has been the primary concern among health officials as nations contemplate easing their quarantine rules.

Last week, WHO emergencies director Mike Ryan warned that the virus could become endemic and “may never go away,” just like HIV has not disappeared from the globe after emerging in the 1980s.

Echoing the WHO’s concerns, European Commission spokesperson Stefan de Keersmaecker urged EU member states to “prepare for eventual second waves of infections” by propping up contact-tracing systems.

Many are counting on the development of a vaccine, however, which may take several years to produce – if efforts are successful at all.

Kluge fears that if authorities drop the ball and fail to properly prepare their healthcare systems, there could be “a second wave of Covid and another one of seasonal flu or measles” in the winter.

The director of the US National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, Anthony Fauci, recently warned that there is “no guarantee” that a vaccine will actually be effective against the disease.

However, there is also a possibility that the virus will be “petering out by itself” before the world comes up with any vaccine, a leading academic and former top WHO oncologist has said. Karol Sikora argued that there is “a real chance” of this occurring, but cautioned that it is far from a certain scenario.

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According To Iran News, United Nations (UN) Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said Monday that the COVID-19 pandemic is the greatest challenge of our age and it must be a wake-up call for all nations.

Delivering a speech through a video link to the 73rd World Health Assembly, the UN chief said that the COVID-19 pandemic has demonstrated our global fragility, and despite the enormous scientific and technological advances of recent decades, “a microscopic virus has brought us to our knees.”

“Deadly global threats require a new unity and solidarity,” he stressed, Xinhua news agency reported.

Guterres reiterated a three-point response he and the UN have advocated for since the beginning of the pandemic: a large-scale, coordinated and comprehensive health response; policies to address the devastating social and economic dimensions of the crisis; more equal, inclusive and sustainable economies and societies.

“Instead of going back to systems that were unsustainable, we need to make a leap into a future of clean energy, inclusivity and equality, and stronger social safety nets, including universal health coverage,” he said, adding that multilateral efforts will be needed in this regard.

In his speech, Guterres also highlighted the importance of the World Health Organization (WHO) and paid tribute to the front-line health workers.

Saying that the WHO is irreplaceable, the UN chief told the conference that the entire UN family stands with the WHO and its staff working worldwide to support member states in saving lives and protecting the vulnerable.

“Either we get through this pandemic together, or we fail. Either we stand together, or we fall apart,” he said.

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The World Health Organization officials on Wednesday said that the acute phase of a pandemic was not the time to cut funding after US President Donald Trump said he would put contributions on hold.

Dr. Bruce Aylward, a senior advisor to the WHO Director-General, also defended the UN agency’s relationship with China, saying its work with Beijing authorities was important to understand the outbreak which began in Wuhan.

“This is what we did with every other hard-hit country like Spain and had nothing to do with China specifically.”

He also defended WHO recommendations to keep borders open, saying that China had worked very hard to identify and detect early cases and their contacts and ensure they did not travel in order to contain the outbreak.

“We are still in the acute phase of a pandemic so now is not the time to cut back on funding,” Dr. Hans Kluge, WHO Regional Director for Europe, told a virtual briefing in response to a question about Trump’s remarks, according to Reuters.

US President Donald Trump accused the World Health Organization for the spread of the coronavirus, threatening to stop financial aid to the organization.

Trump criticized the organization as being “very China-centric” for condemning his Jan. 31 travel ban, adding that he is considering stopping financial aids to the WHO.

The US president also said on Tuesday that Washington would put a “very powerful hold” on money it sends to the WHO. However, when asked if it was the right thing to do now, he said, “I’m not saying I’m going to do it, but we will look at ending funding.”

According to the WHO’s most recent notice of assessment, the United States was expected to pay $115,766,922 to the agency for the biennium of 2020-2021.

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