TEHRAN, Iran, Aug.20
Trend:
Custom statistics indicate Iran has imported 15 million doses of vaccine from China, said the head of Iran and China Chamber of Commerce.
"About 80 percent of Iran's vaccine import was from China, before importing from Japan. We hope Russia, Italy, and India would also comply with their commitment," Majidreza Harriri told Trend in an interview.
Hariri has expressed that Iran's vaccine import from China would reach 40 million doses. Speaking of a possible agreement with China in this regard, he noted, no agreement exists. Iran has only pre-purchased vaccines from COVAX.
"Now the vaccines that are being bought from China are due to the efforts of our ambassador in China and the department of Asia-Pacific in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs," he noted.
"The vaccine is not so abundant in the Chinese market and there are many applicants for the vaccine in the world, but Iran is the most successful country in import of COVID-19 vaccine from China. China has exported 800 million doses of vaccine to the world that 40 million doses belonged to Iran," he continued.
"The importing 24 million doses of vaccine from China was suggested last September in the condition that Iran would participate in the third phase of human clinical trials," he added.
Hariri went on to add that all countries in the region are currently ahead of us in vaccination, have participated in human trials of valid vaccines, if we had participated, we would have imported 24 million doses of vaccine from China before March.