Trump Is Right to Block IMF Aid for Iran
There are less risky and more transparent ways to help Iranians suffering from the coronavirus.
The right way to spend.
Photographer: Fatemeh Bahrami/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images
The Trump administration intends to block Iran’s application for a $5 billion emergency loan from the International Monetary Fund. Tehran claims it plans to spend the money on dealing with the coronavirus epidemic. But the U.S. has excellent grounds for rejection: It is confident a loan would make it easier for the regime to continue financing its vast network of terrorist groups and proxy militias across the Middle East. The U.S. says Iran has the funds to deal with the crisis, citing the billions of dollars in its sovereign-wealth fund; President Hassan Rouhani withdrew 1 billion euros from the fund for that purpose this week.
An American block on the loan application was expected, and senior regime figures have responded with spittle-flecked outrage at what they claim is the “crime against humanity.” Now, Rouhani is railing against what he sees as discrimination between nations, and reminding the international community of its “duties in this pandemic crisis.”