Tehran remains cautious about Swiss humanitarian channel
A boy with cancer and his mother in a Tehran hospital in June. The Swiss trial run contains a shipment of cancer drugs and drugs required for organ transplants
Keystone
Iran has welcomed a Swiss humanitarian channel to bring food and medicine to the country, but downplayed its political importance in a row with the United States.
“This is a small step and we thank the Swiss government for its efforts (….) but his channel is not a sign of America’s goodwill at all,” Iran’s foreign minister, Javad Zarif, is quoted by Iran’s Student News Agency.
The statement comes after the Swiss and the US government last week announced the start of trial operations to help supply Swiss goods to Iran which has been struggling with economic sanctions imposed by Washington.
The project, in the works since late 2018, aims to provide a secure channel for essential aid goods to reach Iran without falling foul of the sanctions regime imposed.
The first trial began last Thursday with an initial payment for a shipment of cancer drugs and drugs required for organ transplants to Iran worth €2.3 million (CHF2.5 million), the Swiss government said.
On Friday, US Ambassador to Switzerland Ed McMullan praised the programme. “For the first time in history, we can be sure that the aid is really getting to Iranian people – and not being embezzled by the regime,” he told Swiss public broadcaster SRF.
Erwin Bollinger from the State Secretariat for Economic Affairs (SECO) also said that Swiss authorities were “proud and happy” about the channel, and that a wider-ranging version to allow Swiss firms conduct safe business in Iran would soon also be ready.
“There are still some technical and legal questions that must be clarified with the US, but it’s only a matter of a few weeks,” Bollinger said.
Food, medicine and other humanitarian supplies are exempt from sanctions that Washington reimposed last year after US President Donald Trump walked away from a 2015 international deal over Iran’s nuclear programme.
But the US measures targeting everything from oil sales to shipping and financial activities have deterred several foreign banks from doing business with the Islamic Republic – including humanitarian deals – just as Iran grappled with major protests.
Switzerland has been acting as a diplomatic intermediary between Iran and the US since 1980.
More
More
How ‘messenger’ Switzerland deals with the US and Iran
This content was published on
As tensions rise between the United States and Iran, Switzerland’s role as intermediary between the two countries has returned to the spotlight. But why is neutral Switzerland getting involved?
Is your place of origin, your Heimatort, important to you?
Every Swiss citizen has a Heimatort, a place of origin, but many have never visited theirs. What’s your relationship with your Heimatort? What does it mean to you?
In Switzerland more people are being referred to electrical therapies or psychedelic-assisted psychotherapy. Are there similar approaches where you live?
Ex-sect member sentenced in Zurich for sexual abuse
This content was published on
Zurich District Court has sentenced a former member of the globally active sect "Children of God" to a partial prison sentence.
SNB chairman does not rule out slowdown in Swiss growth
This content was published on
Martin Schlegel, chairman of the Swiss National Bank (SNB), does not rule out a weakening of the Swiss economy in light of the tariff dispute.
Swiss NGOs abroad to receive 10% less federal funding
This content was published on
In 2025 and 2026, Swiss NGOs will have 10% less federal funding available for international cooperation than in the previous two-year period.
Swiss parties spent less than CHF1 million on February green vote
This content was published on
Swiss political parties spent CHF 700,000 ($840,000) on campaigns in the run-up to the overwhelmingly defeated vote on February 9, according to the Swiss Federal Audit Office.
This content was published on
Swisswool, the largest Swiss wool processor, is not accepting any wool for the first time this spring. For many sheep farmers, the only option is to get rid of the wool.
If you want to start a conversation about a topic raised in this article or want to report factual errors, email us at english@swissinfo.ch.
Read more
More
Iran: ‘Without Switzerland the situation could be worse’
This content was published on
Without Switzerland’s good offices, the situation in the Persian Gulf could deteriorate, says the Iranian ambassador in Bern.
This content was published on
A Swiss-facilitated humanitarian trade channel to bring food and medicine to Iran will be the subject of talks at WEF, SRF says.
The Iranian paradox: a regional powerhouse but weak at home
This content was published on
Analysis: the US killing of a top Iranian commander has not diminished Iran’s regional power, but internally the regime faces an impasse.
You can find an overview of ongoing debates with our journalists here . Please join us!
If you want to start a conversation about a topic raised in this article or want to report factual errors, email us at english@swissinfo.ch.