United States and Switzerland Finalize Humanitarian Trade Arrangement to Open Humanitarian Aid Channel to Iranians

The United States and Swiss Governments have finalized the Swiss Humanitarian Trade Arrangement (SHTA) to “facilitate the flow of humanitarian goods to the Iranian people while safeguarding against the Iranian regime’s diversion of humanitarian trade for malign purposes.”

U.S. Secretary of the Treasury Steven Mnuchin commented that “[t]he Swiss Humanitarian Trade Arrangement will help ensure that humanitarian goods continue to reach the Iranian people without diversion by the regime”.

Multiple sanctions currently exist against Iran, preventing U.S. trade. By signing this agreement with the Swiss Government, “exports of agricultural commodities, food, medicine, and medical devices to Iran” are allowed, while still maintaining these sanctions.

Iran is currently subject to one of the world’s worst outbreaks of the Coronavirus; as of yesterday, 141 people have been diagnosed with the virus, resulting in 22 deaths.