As the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic continues across the world, the United Arab Emirates on June 27 sent an aid plane carrying 16 metric tons of urgent medical supplies to Iran to support the country's efforts to tackle the virus transmission. As per a report by the state news agency WAM, UAE's medical aid will provide assistance to at least 16,000 medical professionals in Iran as they work tirelessly to save the citizens from the virus.

Saturday's aid place is the fourth to be sent by the UAE to Iran since March when the pandemic outbreak began in the country.

On March 16, the UAE had sent two aid planes carrying more than 33 metric tons of essential medical supplies. Prior to this, another aircraft was sent on March 3 which contained 7.5 metric tons of critical medical supplies in collaboration with the World Health Organisation (WHO).

Speaking over the delivery of medical aid, the UAE Ambassador to the Islamic Republic of Iran, Saif Al Zaabi, stated that the Emirates' efforts to provide medical assistance to Iran's healthcare sector reflect the authenticity of the UAE’s humanitarian approach and the spirit of tolerance and solidarity embedded in the policies of the country.

"The UAE has long stood with the leadership and peoples of other countries in difficult times, supporting them and helping save their lives without regard to any other considerations," said Saif Al Zaabi.

He went on to assert that the UAE hopes that its medical aid delivery will boost the capacity of Iran's medical staff and provide them with greater protection.

As of now, Iran has reported over 2,20,000 Coronavirus positive cases, out of whom more than 1,81,000 have recovered from the disease. More than 10,000 COVID-19 related deaths have been reported in Iran.

So far, the UAE has provided over 980 metric tons of medical and food aid to more than 70 countries as part of its humanitarian efforts in the global fight against COVID-19 crises. The medical aid will provide support to more than 980,000 medical professionals across the world in the process.

WAM