BAKU, Azerbaijan, Oct. 20
By Elnur Baghishov – Trend:
Iran exports $36 billion worth of goods from the beginning of the current Iranian year (March 20, 2020) to October 13, the Director-General of the Provincial Department at the Iranian Ministry of Industry, Mine and Trade, Iraj Hassanpour said, Trend report citing IRNA.
The director-general stressed that 5 countries including China, the UAE, Iraq, Turkey, and Afghanistan accounted for 74 percent of Iran’s total export
Hassanpour added that despite the economic problems and US sanctions against Iran, Iran's exports continue.
According to him, there has been a significant increase in the production of medical equipment in Iran due to the spread of the coronavirus pandemic. Thus, the production of medical masks increased daily from 200,000 units to 14 million units.
The US imposed new sanctions on Iran in November 2018. Over the past period, the sanctions affected Iranian oil exports, more than 700 banks, companies, and individuals.
Iran continues to monitor the coronavirus situation in the country. According to recent reports from Iranian officials, over 539,600 people have been infected, and 31,034 people have already died. Meanwhile, over 434,600 have reportedly recovered from the disease.
The country continues to apply strict measures to contain further spread. Reportedly, the disease was brought to Iran by a businessman from Iran's Qom city, who went on a business trip to China, despite official warnings. The man died later from the disease.
The Islamic Republic only announced its first infections and deaths from the coronavirus on Feb. 19.
The outbreak in the Chinese city of Wuhan - which is an international transport hub - began at a fish market in late December 2019.
The World Health Organization (WHO) on March 11 declared COVID-19 a pandemic. Some sources claim the coronavirus outbreak started as early as November 2019.