Economic sanctions and Iran's capacity to respond to COVID-19

Iran was one of the first countries outside China to have a rapid increase in the number of cases of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). The country's capacity to respond to the virus is substantially impeded by unilateral economic sanctions re-imposed after the US Administration withdrew from the nuclear deal in May, 2018, and further US sanctions imposed as recently as March 18, 2020.1 As of March 31, 2020, the recorded number of people infected from COVID-19 in Iran was 41 495, with 2757 deaths,2 but these numbers are likely a substantial underestimation.