After controversy regarding Iran’s ability to purchase vaccine for the coronavirus, Iranian officials say the country is set to receive a batch of vaccine doses funded by unnamed US donors.

Karim Hemmati, head of Iran’s Red Crescent Society, said the country will import 150,000 doses of the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine in "coordination with a group of benefactors in the US." He did not specify a timeline of when the vaccines will arrive but said Iran’s Health Ministry will be in charge. The controversy surrounding Iran’s inability to purchase the vaccine has been a major story domestically. 

Reports about the various vaccines that have begun to hit the market brought temporary hope to Iranians until Iran’s Central Bank said there were complications involved in purchasing vaccine. The issue, as seems to occur with seemingly all matters, quickly became political.

Former Iranian parliamentarian Ali Motahari tweeted that Iran’s attempt to purchase the vaccine was rejected because the country’s hard-liners had refused to pass Financial Action Task Force (FATF) legislation, an international anti-money laundering initiative. Moderates have argued that passing the legislation would give Iran access to international banks while the country’s conservatives have argued that the legislation would give other countries unnecessary access to Iran’s financial transactions.