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Updated: Apr 14, 2020 06:49 IST

Iran foreign minister Javad Zarif on Monday raised the issue of “illegal and unilateral US sanctions” on his country during a telephone conversation with his Indian counterpart S Jaishankar.

In recent weeks, Iran’s top leadership has called on India and other countries to help defeat the US sanctions that are hampering the country’s fight against Covid-19.

Iran is among the countries hit hardest by the coronavirus pandemic and has recorded more than 73,000 confirmed case and nearly 4,600 deaths.

Iran’s foreign ministry tweeted that Zarif and Jaishankar had exchanged views on the latest situation regarding the Covid-19 outbreak in the region and the world and the collective ways to cope with it.

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It said they also discussed the “illegal and unilateral US sanctions against the Iranian people”.

Besides, Zarif and Jaishankar also discussed the latest political developments in Afghanistan, especially the peace process in that country.

Jaishankar tweeted that he and Zarif discussed “respective responses to the #Coronavirus challenge” and “exchanged views on regional developments”. He did not give details or say whether the US sanctions on Iran had figured in the discussions.

The Covid-19 crisis also figured in a telephone conversation on Monday between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Vietnamese counterpart Nguyen Xuan Phuc. This was the latest in a string of such conversations the Indian premier has had with world leaders to forge a common approach to the pandemic.

“The leaders agreed on the potential for bilateral collaboration in fighting Covid-19, including for facilitating supplies of required medical equipment. They also committed to provide necessary support to each other’s citizens present in their territories,” the external affairs ministry said in a statement.

Both leaders also stressed the importance of the strategic partnership between India and Vietnam and expressed satisfaction at recent progress on various fronts.

They agreed their teams will remain in touch “for coordination on the pandemic response measures as well as other aspects of bilateral relations”.