Iran's foreign minister blames US sanctions for the devastation from coronavirus

Iranian Foreign Minister Javad Zarif accused the United States of exacerbating the ruinous effects from the coronavirus on Iran's economy and society.

Zarif tweeted his latest claims from his social media account on Tuesday.

"Unlawful US sanctions drained Iran's economic resources, impairing ability to fight #COVID19," he tweeted, using a politically correct term for the coronavirus.

"They literally kill innocents," Zarif claimed. "It is immoral to observe them: doing so has never saved anyone from future US wrath. Join the growing global campaign to disregard US sanctions on Iran."

Zarif has previously demanded that nations ignore sanctions the United States has placed on the government of Iran.

The coronavirus has been especially damaging in Iran as it quickly spread to government leaders. An outbreak in the religious city of Qom has resulted in the highest number of casualties from coronavirus outside of China and Italy.

Experts say Iran did not respond sufficiently to the outbreak, leaving doctors and other medical personnel without the proper equipment to avoid becoming infected themselves.

"People are dying left and right here. That's the case in all of our hospitals in Qom," said a laboratory scientist in Qom to Time magazine.

A report from the Washington Post documented a massive grave was being built for the victims of the virus.