The ship was reportedly en route to Iran loaded with medical manufacturing components, specifically zeolite,\u00a0which\u00a0Fars News Agency<\/a>\u00a0<\/em>says is needed\u00a0for manufacturing oxygen concentrators for coronavirus-infected patients.<\/p>\n \u201cOnly one imported part is used for production of oxygen concentrators, which is zeolite, and we are forced to purchase it from France and import it to the country through several intermediators,\u201d Peyman Bakhshandeh-Nejad, an Iran-based pharmaceutical company CEO told state media.<\/p>\n Amid the raging coronavirus crisis in the Islamic Republic, which for over half a year has been among the hardest-hit countries in the world (and recall that last month President Rouhani\u00a0shocked in a speech by saying<\/a>\u00a0the truer estimate of numbers of Iranian infected stands at some 25 million, not the official 300,000+),\u00a0Tehran has been desperate to import vital hospital\u00a0equipment and medicines<\/strong>.<\/p>\n However, US-led sanctions related to Iran’s alleged nuclear aspirations has made this extremely difficult. While Washington has denied it is targeting vital medicines and staples like food and hospital gear, Iran has said it’s precisely these things which are being blocked.<\/p>\n Specifically in the case of the seized ship off China,\u00a0zeolite is said to be crucial in\u00a0oxygen concentrator systems for\u00a0coronavirus patients who can rely on the vital devices at home without having to visit a hospital.<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/zh-prod-1cc738ca-7d3b-4a72-b792-20bd8d8fa069.storage.googleapis.com\/s3fs-public\/styles\/inline_image_desktop\/public\/inline-images\/usdestroyerfile.jpg?itok=KXL0FSWq)
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