Pompeo behind corona? Iran’s foreign ministry employs PHOTOSHOP to take a not-so-subtle jab at US sanctions (PHOTO)

Iranian diplomats have yet again taken aim at ongoing US sanctions which are hampering the country’s efforts to battle the coronavirus outbreak, this time showing off decent photo-editing skills.

The image, posted by the ministry on Twitter, is a call to “stop aiding war crimes” and “obeying immoral and illegal US sanctions,” echoing earlier comments by the country’s top diplomat Javad Zarif.

The picture features “sanction” written in large right in the center, its letter “O” stylized as coronavirus with a translucent US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo lurking behind it. Smaller coronaviruses can be seen in the background, possibly representing those states that abide by the anti-Iranian sanctions, or a nod to the scale of the outbreak in the country.

Iran is among the states worst affected by coronavirus — it has more than 41,000 confirmed cases and over 2,700 deaths. Apart from damaging the Iranian economy as a whole, the US sanctions have been hindering Tehran’s ability to procure both drugs and crucial equipment.

Iranian officials sounded alarm over the sanctions, while international organizations — including the UN — called for an urgent suspension of all such restrictions on any nation over the coronavirus pandemic. However the US, which is itself badly affected by the virus, continued to ramp up its sanctions against Iran, slapping it with a new package last week.

Earlier this month, Pompeo blamed Iran’s leadership for the severity of the outbreak in the country, accusing them of incompetence, and even calling them an “accomplice” of the virus.

Globally, the coronavirus tally has already risen over the 700,000 confirmed cases mark. Around 35,000 people died from the disease worldwide.

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