MOSCOW 

The Russian Foreign Ministry on Monday slammed as "anti-human," U.S. sanctions against Iran that is battling the deadly coronavirus. 

The sanctions create a strong barrier for Iran that has been hit heavily by the virus known as COVID-19, the ministry said in a statement.

"Illegal unilateral U.S. sanctions, imposed since May 2018 as part of the ‘maximum pressure’ campaign, are a powerful obstacle to effective fight against the infection. The reason for the many victims, caused by it, lies not only in the disease itself, but also in the fact that the U.S, purposefully hinder the resistance [to the coronavirus].

"Millions of Iranian citizens were cut off from the possibility of purchasing necessary medical supplies, no matter how hard Washington tried to distort it. The anti-human policy of the U.S. provokes deep regret, alarm and serious concern," it said.

The ministry urged the U.S. to lift the restrictive measures "hitting the human rights in Iran."

"The global pandemic is not a time for settling geopolitical accounts, especially those that have no basis, invented in Washington for the purpose of satisfying their own ambitions," it said.

The virus known as COVID-19 emerged in Wuhan, China last December, and has spread to 150 countries and territories. The World Health Organization has declared the outbreak a pandemic.

The UN agency said out of 165,000 confirmed cases, the death toll is nearly 6,500.