I guess you didn't know your heroes banned western vaccines on the back of their own people.
Khamenei's Ban On Western Vaccines Blasted As A 'Politicization' Of Iranians' Well-Being
Despite a coronavirus outbreak that has killed more than 56,000 Iranians, Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has banned Western coronavirus vaccines, claiming they’re untrustworthy.
“The import of American and British vaccines is banned,” Khamenei said on January 8.
The surprise announcement was met with anger by Iranians who have in past weeks called on their government to purchase safe vaccines as soon as possible.
Analysts and experts accused Khamenei of politicizing the issue and endangering the well-being of Iranian citizens, who are faced with the Middle East’s deadliest outbreak.
The decision appears to be the result of the worldview of Khamenei, Iran’s highest political and religious authority. Khamenei is deeply mistrustful of the United States and other Western countries and has cited unfounded conspiracy theories about the coronavirus's origins since the early weeks of the outbreak in Iran. The ban also highlights Tehran’s tense ties with Washington, which have deteriorated since U.S. President Donald Trump left the 2015 nuclear deal and reimposed crippling sanctions.
Speaking on January 8, Khamenei claimed that Western companies want to test their vaccines on Iranians.
“If their Pfizer company can produce vaccines, why don’t they use it themselves so that they don’t have so many dead? The same applies to Britain," Khamenei said.
He meanwhile failed to acknowledge that such vaccines had already been deployed in Western countries, where a number of national leaders have been among the first to receive them in an effort to instill public confidence.
"Our people will not be a testing device for vaccine manufacturing companies," the Iranian leader said. His country will purchase “safe foreign” vaccines, he said, without providing details.
Meanwhile, Iranian health authorities have promoted the possible import of vaccines from India, China, or Russia, and reportedly even agreed to allow a Cuban vaccine candidate to be tested on Iranians.
Ali Vaez, director of the International Crisis Group's (ICG) Iran Project, says the ban “is the triumph of ideology over common sense.”
“It’s not just a reckless politicization of the Iranian people’s well-being, but an ill-advised political move,” Vaez told RFE/RL.
Early in the outbreak, in March, Khamenei dismissed an offer of assistance by the Trump administration, which has refused to ease sanctions despite the pandemic and calls for such a move from UN officials, some U.S. lawmakers, and others. Khamenei also went so far as to suggest -- without citing evidence -- that the coronavirus that has now killed nearly 400,000 Americans might have been manufactured by the United States.
Iranian officials have complained that the sanctions have hampered their efforts to contain the crisis.
Khamenei's Ban On Western Vaccines Blasted As A 'Politicization' Of Iranians' Well-Being
Despite a coronavirus outbreak that has killed at least 56,000 Iranians, Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has banned Western coronavirus vaccines, claiming that they're not trustworthy.
www.rferl.org
