MNA � Iran's Ambassador to Paris Bahram Ghasemi condemned the US� unilateralism and bullying tactics during the COVID-19 outbreak.

�Some are seeking to continue their sanctions and maximum pressure policy with political aims. Depriving countries of their own financial assets and blocking their access to international funds shows they still don�t know that fighting against this common pain is only plausible through a continuous collective effort,� he said on Saturday via Twitter account of the Iranian embassy in Paris.

His comments come after some reports circulating in the media suggested that the United States government is trying to hamper Iran�s efforts to get a $5 billion from the International Monetary Fund under the pretext that Tehran might use the funds to compensate for the losses created as a result of the US sanctions.

Meanwhile, the White House has refused to ease unilateral sanctions on Iran despite calls from other countries and international bodies. Iran is one of the hardest-hit by the outbreak with 70,000 infections and 4,357 deaths as of Saturday.

Iranian officials say that US sanctions, which affects both banking relations and the country�s revenues, are hampering their efforts to provide people with required supplies.