Officials from France’s Embassy in Tehran were at Imam Khomeini Airport on March 4 for the delivery of items from Paris that will aid with efforts aimed at controlling Iran’s severe coronavirus outbreak.

France, the UK and Germany, referred to as the “E3”, announced on March 1 that they would offer Iran a loan of €5mn to assist with such efforts. Novel coronavirus COVID-19 had by March 5 officially killed 107 people in Iran, with infections reported in almost all regions of the country. The total number of infections stood at 3,513, officials said.

French Ambassador to Iran Philippe Thiebaud said it was important to ship enough testing kits to impacted areas across Iran, a vast country.

He said: “As part of the fight against the coronavirus in Iran and in response to the needs it has expressed, France has sent emergency equipment to help detect the disease—screening kits, a batch of thermometers—and items of help to protect health personnel—coveralls, boots, gloves.

The director of the Headquarters for Executing the Orders of Imam Khomeini claimed that “some vicious European countries blocked the transfer of the materials although an agreement had been signed with them”. He did not name the countries.

“Despite all these conditions we face, we will try to solve the problem of supply and demand for disinfectants and hygienic materials in the country by next week…,” he added.

Meanwhile, Iranian President Hassan Rouhani has rejected an offer from the US to provide coronavirus testing kits, saying that “vicious” US sanctions were damaging the country’s ability to fight the disease.

"Those who have deprived the people of even medicine and food through sanctions, who have done the most vicious things... they appear with a mask of sympathy and say that we want to help the nation of Iran," Rouhani said.

"Our people know well that you are lying," he added, speaking at the weekly meeting of his cabinet in remarks aired on state television.

The US claims its sanctions do not target or hinder humanitarian supplies flowing to Iran but many analysts have noted that the sanctions have often caused difficulties for Iran in securing financing arrangements necessary for such supplies, thus delaying or blocking consignments.