Iranian President Hassan Rouhani said today that Iran will not accept Washington’s offer of humanitarian assistance made in light of crisis the Islamic Republic is facing as a result of the novel coronavirus outbreak, according to wires.

“Americans are lying… if they want to help Iran, all they need to do is to lift sanctions… then we can deal with the coronavirus outbreak,” he said in a speech aired on Iranian television.

In a tweet on Monday, Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif echoed his President: “U.S. is not listening, impeding global fight against #COVID19. The ONLY remedy: DEFY U.S. mass punishment. MORAL & PRAGMATIC imperative,” he posted.

The Administration of President Donald Trump has repeatedly informed Iran that the massive coronavirus outbreak in the country will not “save it” from U.S. sanctions.

At the time of publishing this article 23,049 cases of COVID-19 with 1,812 deaths. The country has blamed the high tolls on sanctions that have weakened the economy and as a result the state’s ability to manage the pandemic.