Was great opportunity for US to apologise, lift sanctions: Iran

DUBAI: Iran’s president said on Wednesday that the United States had lost a historic opportunity to lift sanctions on his country over the coronavirus, while adding that the penalties had not hampered Tehran’s fight against the infection. On Tuesday, U.S Secretary of State Mike Pompeo raised the possibility that Washington might consider easing sanctions on Iran and other nations to help fight the coronavirus, but gave no concrete sign it plans to do so. “The United States lost the best opportunity to lift sanctions,” Hassan Rouhani said in a televised cabinet meeting. “It was a great opportunity for Americans to apologise ... and to lift the unjust and unfair sanctions on Iran.”