UAE sends aid to Iran to help it combat Covid-19

On Wednesday, the UAE sent two aid planes carrying critical medical supplies to Iran to help it combat the Covid-19 coronavirus pandemic which has had a crippling effect on the country and its healthcare system.

Iran has reported a staggering 14,991 cases of the infections – the country with the highest number of cases in the Middle East.

Read: WHO flies Dhs1m aid from Dubai to Iran to combat coronavirus

The aid aircraft that took off from Abu Dhabi contained over 32 metric tonnes of supplies, including thousands of pairs of gloves, surgical masks, and protective equipment.

The shipment of the aid to Iran is part of the UAE’s decision to cooperate with countries suffering from the Covid-19 outbreak and to help stem the spread of the disease.

Commenting on the aid dispatched, Reem bint Ibrahim Al Hashemy, Minister of State for International Cooperation, said, “The UAE’s efforts in carrying out a second medical aid flight to Iran are consistent with our country’s founding humanitarian principles, which guide our belief that providing life-saving assistance to those experiencing distress is essential to serving the common good.”

This is the second such recent instance of when aid has been sent from the UAE to Iran.
On March 3, the UAE collaborated with the World Health Organisation (WHO) to dispatch a UAE aircraft to Iran carrying 7.5 tonnes of medical supplies and five WHO experts to help 15,000 healthcare workers.

The UAE has also undertaken aid missions to other countries apart from Iran to help them combat coronavirus. Following the initial Covid-19 outbreak in Wuhan, China, the UAE provided medical supplies including face masks and gloves to China.

The UAE also dispatched an urgent medical aid shipment containing 20,000 testing units and equipment to examine thousands of people in Afghanistan.

As part of the UAE’s Homeland of Humanity Initiative, on March 4 it evacuated 215 people of different nationalities from China’s Hubei Province and flew them to the Emirates Humanitarian City in Abu Dhabi where they are currently receiving medical attention prior to their return to their respective home countries.