In an exclusive interview with Iran International, Morgan Ortagus, the spokeswoman for the US State Department emphasized that sending humanitarian aid and medical equipment to Iran was never sanctioned and that is “just another lie” that “the regime of Iran tells their own people”.

Ortagus added: “In fact, we found reports and documents that showed the regime was using the money for electrical wires and cigarettes or for other things as opposed to using it for medical supplies for their own people.”

“So it was really important to Secretary Mnuchin and Secretary Pompeo to set up this (Swiss) channel in order to do transactions with Iran to get that medical supplies and equipment into Tehran,” she added.

She continued: “We want to do everything we can to make sure that the Iranian people are not harmed by the sanctions that are targeted towards their government. So, we are urging the international community, international businesses to use this (Swiss) channel to get medical aid and supplies inti Iran.”

She also urged the Iranian regime not to stop any efforts to get these supplies into Iran and get to Iranian people, since “there are certainly cases in the past where Iran has done this.

She expressed hope the regime will not “unduly punish its own people and Iran and the world will instead use this new channel that the Treasury Department announced in order to get those supplies into Iran.”

Iranian officials over the years have made contradictory claims about the sanction on food and medicine by the United States.