China on Thursday urged certain countries to lift relevant sanctions against Iran immediately to avoid disturbing the efforts made by Iran and the international community to combat COVID-19.

Iranian President Hassan Rouhani has said that if the United States really cares about the people of Iran, it would ease restrictions on trade in pharmaceuticals and food as the country battles the spread of the coronavirus, the Financial Times reported.

Foreign Ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian pointed out that at this critical moment when Iran is fighting the epidemic, continued unilateral sanctions will only make things worse, and this goes against the spirit of humanitarianism.

China calls for the international community to work with Iran in curbing the epidemic and jointly safeguarding global public health, Zhao said.

China is paying close attention to the epidemic situation in Iran, the spokesman said, adding that the country has provided Iran with supplies, such as nucleic acid testing kits, and has sent a team of experts to Iran to help fight the epidemic.

According to Zhao, the volunteer experts from the Red Cross Society of China have shared China's experiences in curbing the epidemic.

They also cooperate with experts from the World Health Organization to carry out an epidemic prevention and control plan that suits Iran's needs, he added.