عربي English Türkçe اردو فارسى
Logo
Latest News
World

Iran’s Daily New COVID-19 Cases Hit Two Consecutive Record Highs

Iranian women cross a street in downtown Tehran on July 20, 2021, as authorities tighten restrictions amid the COVID-19 pandemic. (AFP)
Iranian women cross a street in downtown Tehran on July 20, 2021, as authorities tighten restrictions amid the COVID-19 pandemic. (AFP)
TT
20
TT

Iran’s Daily New COVID-19 Cases Hit Two Consecutive Record Highs

Iranian women cross a street in downtown Tehran on July 20, 2021, as authorities tighten restrictions amid the COVID-19 pandemic. (AFP)
Iranian women cross a street in downtown Tehran on July 20, 2021, as authorities tighten restrictions amid the COVID-19 pandemic. (AFP)

Iran’s COVID-19 cases hit a record high for the second time in as many days on Tuesday, rising to almost 35,000, as the health minister warned there was little hope of improvement unless the public followed health precautions, state TV reported.

The epicenter of the pandemic in the region, Iran reported 34,951 new cases on Tuesday, after registering a record 31,814 cases on Monday in a fifth wave blamed on the highly transmissible Delta variant.

Deaths rose by 357 to 89,479 on Tuesday.

“If health protocols are followed as they are now, we will not have much hope of getting out of the (high risk) ‘red’ situation,” Health Minister Saeed Namaki told state TV.

Officials say less than 40% of Iranians wear masks and follow other precautions.

State television broadcast scenes from burials of COVID-19 victims with crying relatives appealing to the public to follow safety precautions.

The government has been accused on social media of mismanagement over the country’s slow vaccination drive, with just 2.5 million people fully vaccinated from a population of 83 million.

Officials have blamed US sanctions for hampering efforts to buy foreign vaccines and delays in deliveries.

Most Viewed

 
World

Israeli Finance Minister Says Banks Should Not Obey EU Sanctions on Settlers

20 July 2022, Israel, Barkan: Right-wing settlers march to build a settlement in the West Bank near Barkan. (dpa)
20 July 2022, Israel, Barkan: Right-wing settlers march to build a settlement in the West Bank near Barkan. (dpa)
TT
20
TT

Israeli Finance Minister Says Banks Should Not Obey EU Sanctions on Settlers

20 July 2022, Israel, Barkan: Right-wing settlers march to build a settlement in the West Bank near Barkan. (dpa)
20 July 2022, Israel, Barkan: Right-wing settlers march to build a settlement in the West Bank near Barkan. (dpa)

Israel's Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich on Thursday condemned the country's banks that have refused to provide services to Israeli settlers sanctioned by the European Union and warned they may have to pay compensation to them.

The EU last year imposed sanctions on five Israeli settlers for violence against Palestinians and Smotrich said there were reports of sanctions being considered against other settlers.

But in a letter to the banking supervisor, he said Israeli banks should not follow a "zero risk" policy since it leads to the abandonment of Israeli clients "under the guise of compliance with foreign sanctions."

In a statement quoting his letter to the regulator, Smotrich called on banks to use their legal, economic, and international strength to fight "unjust sanctions", Reuters reported.

"The banks’ enormous profits enable them to take measured risks on behalf of their clients — especially when it comes to a national moral injustice," Smotrich, who leads the far-right Religious Zionism party, said.

Should banks continue to comply with sanctions and harm clients, Smotrich said he intended to promote immediate legislation that would require banks to pay substantial compensation to affected customers.

He also intends to require the Bank of Israel itself to offer banking services to citizens targeted by sanctions.

Responding to the letter, the Bank of Israel said that while banks must comply with international sanctions to avoid an array of risks, a draft directive it published on Thursday aimed to ensure appropriate banking services were available for the affected customers.

"Circumventing foreign sanctions regimes through the Israeli banking system exposes banking corporations to multiple risks, including compliance risks, anti-money laundering and counter-terror financing risks, legal risks, and reputational risks," the central bank said.

But it said it has taken steps to comply with sanctions "without banks resorting to blanket refusals to serve such customers."

While the sanctions in question concern Israeli settlers, the EU is reviewing its broad pact governing its political and economic ties with Israel in the face of mounting international pressure on Israel amid complaints about the lack of humanitarian aid reaching Gaza in the wake of the war triggered by Hamas' Oct. 7, 2023 attack.