China says US sanctions against Iran to destabilize Mideast

Tehran, May 16, IRNA – China's Permanent Ambassador to the United Nations Wang Qun reiterated that Washington's sanctions against Iran are a major factor contributing to the instability in the Middle East, accusing the US of undermining global economy and prolonging the spread of COVID-19 pandemic. In a meeting with officials from the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) headquartered in Vienna on Friday, he added that the US is weakening the global economy by building trade barriers. Wang Qun, also China's ambassador to other international organizations in Vienna, further noted that US is artificially prolonging the global coronavirus pandemic by halting funds to the World Health Organization (WHO). “The US has done its utmost to engage itself in blaming game on others and stigmatization of China, and WHO, so as to shift its own responsibility for ineffective control of the pandemic in the US,” Reuters quoted Wang as saying. He also said Washington was jeopardizing the global economic recovery with the slapping of arbitrary tariffs, which have provoked trade frictions and disputes. Such policy measures would drastically reduce the volume of international trade and disrupt the free movement of global commodities, personnel and services, Chinese diplomat said. He also accused Washington of exacerbating humanitarian crises in countries such as Iran and Venezuela with new “long-arm extra-territorial sanctions”, which were also distorting global oil supply and further destabilizing the Middle East.