FNA - Iranian Deputy Health Minister for Treatment Qassem Janbabayee said that the face masks ordered by Tehran in early days of coronavirus outbreak were hijacked by the British government.

�The British government took hold of 3ml masks purchased by Iran in the first week of the coronavirus outbreak and did not deliver them to Iran, while Iran had already paid their price,� Janbabayee said, addressing a meeting in the Central city of Arak on Wednesday.

He added that most countries did not deliver the masks bought by Iran, stressing that today the country has gained self-sufficiency in production of masks and other hygiene products.

In relevant remarks last Saturday, Iranian Vice-President for Science and Technology Sorena Sattari said from day one of coronavirus outbreak in country, knowledge-based companies rolled up sleeves and met internal needs without dependence on imports.

Almost nothing related to COVID-19 has been imported from other countries and everything has been secured with reliance on domestic capability, Sattari said at Scientific and Technological Park of Hamedan, Western Iran.

He added that since the very onset of the disease, knowledge-based firms worked strenuously and manufactured the domestic need to medical and health items such as ventilator, face-mask, and so on.

Sattari underlined that these firms have worked strongly during the virus era, adding that three batches of new medicines will go be put at market within three weeks.

Also, last week, he announced that the country produces everything needed to fight against COVID-19 virus epidemic.

�The knowledge-based companies have entered the scene very well, and many equipment used to fight against coronavirus were not produced in the country in the past, but today we are producing them at good levels, a sample of which is three-layer and filter-equipped masks,� Sattari said, addressing a meeting in the Central province of Isfahan.

He added that coronavirus test kits are mass-produced in the country now and they are even being exported, noting that Iran is also producing coronavirus-related medicine and nothing is imported from foreign states.