Ayatollah Shirazi and his colleagues would rather see their people die than to see them be cured by an Israeli invention.
“‘Absolutely Fake News:’ Iranian Top Cleric Denies Allowing Use of Israel Vaccine for Coronavirus,” by Benjamin Brown, TPS, March 17, 2020:
Iranian cleric and religious authority Ayatollah Naser Makarem Shirazi has denied approving the purchase of a hypothetical vaccine for the novel Coronavirus (COVID-19) if it came from Israel.
Amid the news that Israeli researchers are swiftly progressing on the development of a vaccine, Iranian newspaper Hamdeli last week reported that Shirazi had allowed such a deal “if there is no substitute.”
The Ayatollah’s office has now claimed the interview “never took place” and was to be considered “absolutely fake news.”
93-year-old Shirazi reiterated his, and Iran’s policy, of not doing business with “the Zionists,” with a potential Corona vaccine being no exception.
The potential release of a Coronavirus vaccine by Israeli scientists has spelled out difficult questions for governments and groups calling for the boycott of Israel….