Switzerland: Humanitarian Mechanism for Exporting Food and Medicine to Iran Activated

Switzerland announced that a humanitarian channel for exporting medicine and essential food items to Iran has been launched. The United States has assured the Swiss government that this commercial mechanism will be protected from sanctions measures against Iran.

The Swiss government announced that in implementing a project dedicated to humanitarian transactions, a secure financial mechanism has been established for exporting medicine and essential food items to Iran.

On Thursday, January 20 (Bahman 10), the Swiss government announced that three days earlier, on January 27, authorization was issued for the first transaction to send medicine to Iran valued at $2,550,000 by a pharmaceutical company.

According to the announcement, the U.S. Treasury Department assured the Swiss government that both the financial revenues of this commercial mechanism will be protected from sanctions and the companies engaged in such activities will be safeguarded.

According to Switzerland, this financial mechanism began in 2018 but has only recently started actual operations. To date, three shipments including anti-cancer drugs and medicines needed for organ transplantation have been exported to Iran without any problems, and this activity will continue.

“A Humanitarian Mechanism”

Brian Hook, Special Representative for Iran at the U.S. State Department, emphasizing the “humanitarian nature” of this mechanism, said that the export of medicine and essential food items to Iran will continue at a faster pace and in greater volume.

He stressed that the U.S. State Department has assured a number of European companies that sending medicine, food items, and other “essential goods” to Iran is not subject to sanctions, and they can confidently export these items to Iran.

According to Reuters, a spokesperson for economic affairs at the Swiss State Department said that BCP Bank, based in Geneva, and Novartis pharmaceutical manufacturing company are the initiators of this new mechanism and said they will increase their activities in the coming weeks to fully meet the needs of the Iranian people for food and medicine.

The Swiss government, which serves as mediator and protector of interests between Iran and the United States, has made preliminary agreements with American officials and asked a number of banking and insurance institutions to participate in these operations. These institutions are obliged to report details of their activities and their transaction partners in Iran to the Swiss government, which will in turn inform American officials.