The governor of the Central Bank of Iran (CBI) Abdolnasser Hemmati has called for an International Monetary Fund loan to cope with the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on Iran's economy.

In a virtual meeting with International Monetary Fund (IMF) and World Bank officials and central bank governors of the Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan, and Pakistan (MENAP) region Hemmati said that Iran's economy is one of the region's worst hit as a result of the coronavirus pandemic. MENAP is a regional designation by the IMF that encompasses the Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan, and Pakistan.

Reminding that the IMF has given more than $100 billions in loans to 85 countries, Hemmati said that Iran expects the Fund to behave in a discrimination-free manner and provides a loan to Iran without being politically influenced by the United States.

In March 2020, Iran called for a $5 billion loan from the IMF and Hemmati took part in several interviews with Iranian and international media during March and April arguing that Iran needed the loan as its economy was badly hit by the Covid-19 pandemic.

On April 19 2020, Bloomberg reported that Iran’s central bank governor urged the International Monetary Fund to resist U.S. pressure and approve its application for financing to help bridge a 10 billion-euro ($10.9 billion) deficit as the country’s sanctions-hit economy struggles to cope with the coronavirus pandemic."

At this year's meeting, Hemmati said that the IMF has given $16 billion in loans to the MENAP region countries including Afghanistan and Pakistan while Iran that has been one of the first countries which called for emergency funding has been denied loans for no logical reason. He said Iran had requested a $5 billion loan from the IMF.

In 2020, economic forums and various countries were weary of transactions with Iran as the country refused to accept financial regulations demanded by the inter-governmental Financial Action Task Force, FATF, aimed at stopping money laundering and financial support for terrorism. Iranian lawmakers had said at the parliament that accepting the FATF terms may prevent Iran form offering financial assistance to "resistance" groups such as the Lebanese Hezbollah and the Palestinian Hamas that have been designated as terrorist by several Western governments.

Hemmati said both last year and in his recent remarks that Iran's economy is one of the worst hit by the pandemic in the region. This contradicts statements by President Hassan Rouhani who insists that Iran's economy has been doing "better than the economy of Germany during the pandemic."

Rouhani had said in October that "Germany's economic growth rate was minus 2.5 percent and that its economy has shrank during the year although Germany is an advanced country. Yet Iran's economy has been doing much better as we had a positive growth rate or even if its negative, it is still far better than Germany."

Meanwhile, Rouhani boasted on March 3, "Iran has been taking major measures during the pandemic which can be taught at universities as a model for coping with the pandemic."

Yet on the same day, Deputy Health Minister Iraj Harirchi, said that the reason the government did not impose a lockdown for the Iranian New Year holiday in late March was that the country did not have the funds to pay the people while they self-isolate at home.

Iranian officials have blamed US sanctions for their mismanagement and inconsistent policies during the pandemic. US officials on the other hand, have declared repeatedly that medicine and medical equipment are not subject to sanctions and Washington has allowed monetary transaction by Iran for providing these items. 

Meanwhile, Iran's Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei has refused to accept offers by the Trump administration to send medical assistance to Iran during the past year. He said: "They are themselves suffering from serious shortcomings in the area of medical supplies," adding that "The Americans have been accused of inventing this virus. So, no sane person would accept offers of help from the United States."