Iran asks IMF for $5bn emergency funding to fight coronavirus

Iran asks IMF for $5bn emergency funding to fight coronavirus

DUBAI: Iran has asked the International Monetary Fund (IMF) for emergency funding to help it fight the coronavirus outbreak that has hit the Islamic Republic hard, Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif said on Thursday.. Iran's economy was already battered by US sanctions that curbed oil and gas exports crucial for government revenues.. US officials have said that the sanctions do not target medicine for Iran and US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo last month said the United States had offered to help Tehran face the outbreak.. US President Donald Trump withdrew the United States from a multilateral nuclear agreement with Iran in 2018 and reimposed sanctions on the Islamic Republic.. Turkey carried out unprecedented crackdown on free expression: US State Department /node/1640531/middle-east. The report said that Turkey used violence against journalists and closed media outlets. DUBAI: The US State Department has released a report accusing Turkey of committing crimes against its people and restricting freedom of expression..