Iranian President Hassan Rouhani, Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and Foreign Minister Javad Zarif each hailed the sacrifices Iranians were making amid the COVID-19 outbreak in separate televised addresses on the advent of the New Persian Year, Fars News Agency reported March 20. Zarif’s address, in particular, was in English and included a plea for other countries to help fight against U.S. sanctions to ensure Iran could access the funding and medical equipment needed to contain the virus.