Page 5 - IRANRptApr20

counting with a resumption of Iranian growth in 2020 to 0.9%, ​it now sees stagnation of 0.0%​.​ And that figure it added, “assumes that the impact of sanctions tapers somewhat”. Coronavirus is also expected to trigger a blow to Iran’s economy.
The effects of the US throttling of Iran’s economy pushed Iranian inflation from about 10% in mid-2018 to more than 50% in mid-2019, partly reflecting the earlier severe depreciation of the Iranian rial (IRR) in the unofficial parallel market, but it subsided in late 2019 to below 30%. ​The IM estimated that the economy contracted by 9.5% last year and forecast it will be 35.7% this year.
In a March 3 report, the UN’s International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) said that Iran’s stockpile of low-enriched uranium had expanded to 1,020.9 kilograms ​compared to the nuclear accord limit of 300 kilograms. In its previous report, released in November, the watchdog said the stockpile stood at 372.3 kilograms.
Violations of the JCPOA can lead to the reimposing of UN sanctions lifted under the 2015 deal.​ ​Iran has said it would be willing to move back to full compliance with the deal if Europe provides “meaningful” economic benefits in the face of US sanctions that are designed for force Tehran into a much tougher nuclear deal.
2.0​ ​Politics
2.1​ ​UK, China ‘pressing US to ease Iran sanctions to help
fight coronavirus’
The UK is reportedly privately pressing the US to ease sanctions on Iran to help it fight the growing coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak that has already ​officially claimed 1,135 lives​ in the country and, according to the World Health Organisation (WHO), may have claimed five times more.
However, the reluctance of Washington to relax its maximum pressure campaign on Tehran is shown by reports quoting European sources that the US may be preparing to use its veto on the International Monetary Fund (IMF) board to block​ ​an application lodged by Iran​ ​for a $5bn emergency loan to help it battle the COVID-19 crisis that has gripped the Islamic Republic. China on March 16 called for the US sanctions to be immediately lifted,​ ​saying continued sanctions were “against humanitarianism”.
Iran, which has published a list of the supplies that it lacks in the fight against the spread of the virus, has warned that its hospitals are badly under-resourced and overstretched. Though US sanctions do not directly target humanitarian supplies to the country, they throw up financing and transactional hurdles and deter parties, who rightly or wrongly fear getting hit by secondary sanctions, from getting involved in business deals with Iran for the delivery of medicines, medical equipment and food.
Iran has the world’s third worst coronavirus epidemic, behind those of China and Italy. It has recorded 17,361 infections. A total of 147 infected people have been recorded as dying in the past 24 hours, a new daily record.
5​ IRAN Country Report April 2020 www.intellinews.com