Tehran, Dec 25 (IANS) Iran has allocated funds to purchase vaccines against the novel coronavirus from abroad, Governor of the Central Bank of Iran Abdolnasser Hemmati said.
“There are no more obstacles in the way of purchasing coronavirus vaccine,” Xinhua news agency quoted Hemmati as saying to the local media on Thursday.
The Governor added that his country has allocated 200 million euros ($243 million) for the vaccine imports.
“We are in contact with (Iran’s) Ministry of Health,” and if they think it’s necessary, the amount of fund for the vaccine’s imports will be increased, he noted.
Iranian officials said earlier that Tehran’s attempts to purchase a Covid-19 vaccine from abroad had been hampered by the US sanctions on Iran’s international financial transactions.
The development comes as Iran’s overall coronavirus caseload and death toll have increased to 1,183,182 and 54,308, respectively.