Ali-Akbar Hashemi-Rafsanjani, the chairman of the Expediency Council, promptly denounced the West for denying Iran “vital” medications. “How can Westerners claim they observe human rights when they put vital drugs for patients on their list of merciless sanctions?” Rafsanjani was quoted as saying by the Iranian Labor News Agency.
Sharq said the medications that are now banned impact sufferers of such ailments as cancer, heart disease, respiratory problems, thalassemia and multiple sclerosis.
One problem with this story is that US sanctions exempt food and medical items. In fact, Iran has been buying considerable medical technology and pharmaceuticals from the United States.
Another problem with this story is that Health Minister Marzieh Vahid-Dastjerdi recently proclaimed that Iran now makes 97 percent of all the medicines needed in Iran.