8 months after Khamenei's opposition, the Ministry of Health announced the free import of Pfizer and Moderna vaccines

About 8 months after the Leader of the Islamic Republic opposed the import of American and British vaccines, Mohammad Reza Shanesaz, head of the Food and Drug Administration of Iran, has announced that a license has been issued to import Pfizer and Moderna vaccines into Iran.

He said on Monday, August 15, that we have allowed and will allow the import of Pfizer and Moderna from their authorized sources, and that the name of a vaccine does not cause prohibitions or restrictions, but rather that its source must be trusted.

In January 2020, Ayatollah Khamenei, the leader of the Islamic Republic, banned the import of American and British vaccines and emphasized domestic vaccine production. However, as the crisis escalated in recent weeks, on Wednesday, August 10, he called the coronavirus the country's "first and most urgent" issue and called for the provision of vaccines in any way possible.

The vaccination process has accelerated in Iran in recent days, but delays in importing foreign vaccines and the failure to fulfill promises by Barakat Pharmaceutical Company to industrially produce domestic vaccines have led to widespread criticism.

Barakat Company, which is one of the economic entities under the office of the Islamic Republic's Supreme Leader, had promised to deliver more than 25 million doses of the Barakat vaccine it claims to have produced to the Ministry of Health by mid-August, but according to official statistics, it has delivered less than one-tenth of this amount of vaccine.

Alireza Zali, head of Tehran's coronavirus response headquarters, announced on Wednesday, August 10, that "the cost of coronavirus drugs has become several times higher than the cost of importing vaccines, but they did not allow the purchase of vaccines because they thought it was expensive."

Mohammad Reza Zafarghandi, head of the Iranian Medical System Organization, said on Sunday evening, August 8, referring to the "reduction in mortality rates in countries that have carried out vaccinations without restrictions and borders," and said: "Are those who issued statements restricting the import of vaccines held accountable today?"

Source: Radio Farda