Mar 23, 2020

Iran’s President Hassan Rouhani spoke at a Cabinet meeting on March 23 for the first time since the Iranian new year to address the country’s fight against the novel coronavirus and addressed the US offer to help.

“That the Americans say 'We are ready to help' under the difficult conditions of the coronavirus is one of the great lies of history,” Rouhani said. “It’s as if someone has taken a well and does not permit you to have clear water and then brings you a glass of muddy water and offers it to you and says 'I know you are thirsty; I have come here to help,'” he added.

Rouhani continued, “If you want to help, remove your boots from the path and step aside from the movement of a nation. You have come and closed the well. You have made problems for the sale of oil. You have made problems for banking transactions, for medicine, for food, raw material.”

“We don’t want your muddy water; just step to the side, remove the obstacles,” Rouhani said, adding, "Leave alone the other nations and companies and buyers and exporters and importers.”

The offer of US help is in reference to comments made by Secretary of State Mike Pompeo on Feb. 28 when he told reporters, “We have made offers to the Islamic Republic of Iran to help, and we’ve made it clear to others around the world and in the region that assistance, humanitarian assistance to push back against the coronavirus in Iran is something the United States of America fully supports.” Immediately in response to Pompeo’s offer, Iran's Foreign Ministry Spokesman Abbas Mousavi said Iran had not believed the offer was genuine and that Pompeo had notified the US media of the offer to help before the offer was made officially to the Swiss, who act as intermediaries between the two countries given they have no formal diplomatic relations.