Khamenei refuses US help, citing virus conspiracy theory
Says American charlatans may have created COVID-19
March 22, 2020 03:49 PM
Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei has stressed Iran's capabilities in coping with problems and challenges in all levels.
Khamenei made the comments in a speech in Tehran broadcast live Sunday across Iran marking Nowruz, the Persian New Year. He had called off his usual speech at Imam Reza shrine in Mashhad over the virus outbreak.
He said Iran is quite capable of solving problems so we should identify domestic potential and employ all motivated and young experts.
Referring to the false offers of medical assistance to Iran by some US officials, the Supreme Leader termed them "one of those strange remarks".
Addressing the US officials, he said: "First of all, you are facing shortages yourselves. If you have enough (equipment), use them for yourselves. You are under accusations that you created this virus. We do have enemies but the most evil of them is the US."
During the televised speech which is also going live on Twitter and Instagram, the Leader also touched upon the advent of the new Iranian year, Nowruz.
Khamenei's comments come as Iran faces US sanctions blocking the country from selling its crude oil and accessing international financial markets.
But while Iranian civilian officials in recent days have increasingly criticized those sanctions, 80-year-old Khamenei instead chose to traffic in the same conspiracy theory increasingly used by Chinese officials about the new virus to deflect blame for the pandemic.
“Possibly your (offered) medicine is a way to spread the virus more,” Khamenei said. “Or if you send therapists and doctors, maybe he wants to see the effect of the poison, since it is said that part of the virus is built for Iran."
There is no scientific proof offered anywhere in the world to support Khamenei's comments. However, it comes after Chinese government spokesman Lijian Zhao tweeted earlier this month that it “might be US army who brought the epidemic to Wuhan. Be transparent! Make public your data! US owe(s) us an explanation!” He offered no evidence to support his claim.
Wuhan is the Chinese city where the first cases of the disease were detected in December. In recent days, the Trump administration has increasingly referred to the virus as the “Chinese” or “Wuhan” virus, while the World Health Organization used the term COVID-19 to describe the illness the virus causes.
Supreme Leader’s comments come as Iran has over 20,600 confirmed cases of the new coronavirus amid 1,556 reported deaths. Iran is one of the hardest-hit countries in the world by the new virus. Across the Mideast, Iran represents eight of 10 cases of the virus and those leaving the Islamic Republic have carried the virus to other countries.