The move was described as a small but precious step in order “to value the efforts of the martyrs who defended the health of the country, especially the martyr Narjes Khanalizadeh;” according to the officials.
The 25-year-old Khanalizadeh died in February 2020 after contracting the coronavirus from patients she had been treating in a hospital in the city of Lahijan.
For Iran’s nurses, the risks of contracting the coronavirus are compounded by U.S. sanctions. As the majority of nurses are women, they are among those bearing the worst of the brunt of U.S. sanctions especially during COVID-19 outbreak.
While food and medicine are exempt from U.S. sanctions, many medical supplies and certain types of equipment are not. To sell some protective items to Iran, including full face mask respirators and some decontamination systems used to sterilize them, companies need a special license from the U.S. Treasury Department.