Iran slams ‘cruel, inhumane’ US sanctions against EB patients

Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei deplores the United States’ “cruel and inhumane” sanctions affecting the country’s patients suffering from Epidermolysis Bullosa (EB), a rare hereditary disease that causes the skin to become fragile and easily injured.

In a post on his X account on Friday, Baghaei said the “cruel and inhumane” nature of US sanctions against Iran is evident in the fact that EB patients — like many other refractory patients — have always been at the top of the list of sanctions.

"Preventing the delivery of specialized bandages for patients with EB reveals the height of cruelty and callousness of those who impose and enforce the sanctions," he wrote. 

The Iranian spokesperson noted that he, along with the culture minister Seyyed Abbas Salehi, attended the unveiling ceremony of a documentary titled Flight of Butterflies at the Vahdat Hall on Thursday night.

The documentary follows two patients with epidermolysis bullosa who have achieved higher education and social success despite the severe challenges posed by the disease.

“On the one hand, this film narrates the patience, perseverance, and firm determination of Zahra and Mohammad Mehdi [Parvizi], siblings with EB disease, to learn and progress; and on the other hand, it depicts the unimaginable pain and suffering of EB patients and their families,” Baghaei said.

The United States under President Donald Trump reinstated harsh sanctions on Iran after unilaterally walking out of the 2015 nuclear deal in May 2018, despite Iran’s full compliance with the terms of the agreement. 

The sanctions have been choking up the financial channels that could be used for providing Iran with essential medicine, material, or medical equipment.

Although Washington and its Western allies claim that humanitarian goods were exempted from sanctions, tens of thousands of patients in Iran have, over the years, died or developed critical ailments due to the unavailability of essential drugs. 

Iran court rules US must pay nearly $7bn in damages to EB patients over sanctions

An Iranian court has ruled that the United States must pay some seven billion dollars in damages over its illegal sanctions affecting the country’s patients suffering from EB.

In July 2024, the Tehran Legal Court of International Relations ruled that the US government and its officials must pay $6.785 billion in material, moral, and punitive damages to plaintiffs representing Iran’s EB patients.

The ruling was made after 295 Iranian EB patients and family members lodged lawsuits in protest at the US-imposed sanctions that had hampered the import of much-needed pharmaceuticals and wound dressings for those suffering from the rare skin disease.

Currently, some 1,250 patients suffering from EB have been identified in the country, and Iran’s EB home, as the only officially registered organization in Iran, is responsible for addressing the issues related to these patients.

Speaking at the Thursday ceremony, Iranian Minister of Culture Abbas Salehi said the documentary "narrates the life of a family that helped their children through love, patience, and compassion reach a unique position."

He added that the Parvizi family has turned into a symbol and model of how “desires” can transform into “capabilities” both on a small scale and in a larger national context.

Director of Flight of Butterflies, Alireza Mohammadi, also said the documentary was produced based on a free and human perspective on the life of the Parvizi family.

He added that the family symbolizes patience, faith, and hope in the face of difficulties.

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