Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan on Sunday urged U.S. President Donald Trump to temporarily lift sanctions on Iran, one of the worst-hit countries by COVID-19.
"I want to appeal to President Trump on humanitarian grounds to lift the sanctions against Iran till the COVID-19 pandemic is over," the prime minister said on Twitter.
"The people of Iran are facing untold suffering as sanctions are crippling Iran's efforts to fight COVID-19. Humanity must unite to fight this pandemic," he added.
Meanwhile, Pakistani Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi had a phone conversation with his Iranian counterpart Mohammad Javad Zarif on Sunday, conveying his country's "deep concern and sorrow" over the tragic loss of innocent lives in the COVID-19 spread, according to the Pakistani Foreign Ministry.
Qureshi said that the pandemic was one of the greatest challenges confronting humanity in a century, and successfully overcoming it necessitated both compassion and innovation, the ministry said in a statement.
"Qureshi also reiterated the earlier call made by Prime Minister Imran Khan to lift sanctions against Iran, to enable it to utilize its resources to save precious human lives," the statement said.
The two countries also discussed a range of prospects of enhanced bilateral cooperation and coordination at the border to deal with the ongoing pandemic, the statement added.