U.S Secretary of State Mike Pompeo held out the possibility on Tuesday that the United States may consider easing sanctions on Iran and other nations to help fight the coronavirus epidemic but gave no concrete sign it plans to do so. The comments reflected a shift in tone by the U.S. State Department, which has come under withering criticism for its hard line toward sanctions relief even in the face of a call by the U.N. secretary-general to ease U.S. economic penalties.

Pompeo stressed that humanitarian supplies are exempt from sanctions Washington reimposed on Tehran after President Donald Trump abandoned Iran’s 2015 multilateral deal to limit its nuclear program.

However, broader U.S. sanctions deter many firms from humanitarian trade with Iran, one of the nations hardest hit by the coronavirus epidemic.

Asked if there might come a point at which Washington might reevaluate its stance on easing sanctions, Pompeo told reporters: “We evaluate all of our policies constantly, so the answer is - would we ever rethink? - Of course.”

Asked about such relief on March 20, Pompeo simply said U.S. sanctions do not apply to medical and other humanitarian goods.

Washington is pursuing a “maximum pressure” policy to try to force Tehran to curb its nuclear, missile and regional activities.

Iran has accused the United States of “medical terror,” prompting Pompeo’s spokeswoman, Morgan Ortagus, on Monday to tweet: “Stop lying. ... It’s not the sanctions. It’s the regime.”

France, Germany and Britain have exported medical goods to Iran in the first transaction under a trade mechanism set up to barter humanitarian goods and food, Germany said.

Jon Alterman, a Middle East analyst at Washington’s CSIS think tank, said Pompeo’s shift in tone might be a response to the European move.

“There is an Iranian effort to peel off Europe ... Holding open the possibility of reconsidering is an effort to keep Europe on side,” he added, though he saw little chance of a U.S. policy shift. “In the current environment, the chances are very low, but the environment keeps changing.”

Pompeo has been sharply criticized for the administration’s stance on Iran sanctions. In recent weeks, the United States has repeatedly tightened sanctions on Iran, notably seeking to make it harder for it to export oil. (REUTERS)

As many as 14 Indonesian nationals who were undergoing treatment in Japan, Spain, Singapore, and the Netherlands after testing positive for the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) have made a complete recovery, the Foreign Ministry said.

Nine Indonesians have recovered from the deadly virus in Japan, one in Spain, three in Singapore, and one in the Netherlands, the ministry said in a statement released via its Instagram account (safetravel.kemlu) on Tuesday.

As of 8 a.m. on Tuesday (March 31, 2020),133 Indonesian nationals have tested positive for the coronavirus outside the country — 34 in Malaysia, 34 in Singapore, four in Italy, five in Vatican, three in Vietnam, three in the Netherlands, one in Ireland, one in the United Kingdom, two in Qatar, six in Saudi Arabia, two in the United Arab Emirates, 14 in India, two in Cambodia, one in the Philippines, two in Australia, three in Brunei Darussalam, one in Macau, and three in Taiwan. All nine Indonesians who contracted the coronavirus infection in Japan are reported to have recovered, according to the ministry. (ANTARA)

Indonesia will issue a government regulation in lieu of law (Perppu) that will boost state spending by up to Rp 405.1 trillion (US$24.6 billion) as the budget deficit is anticipated to widen to 5.07 percent of GDP in the nation’s fight against COVID-19.

President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo said Tuesday the Perppu would serve as a foundation for the government and banking and financial authorities to carry out “extraordinary measures to ensure the people’s health, safeguard the national economy and financial system stability”.

Of the extra spending, the government will allocate Rp 75 trillion for healthcare spending, Rp 110 trillion for social protection and Rp 70.1 trillion for tax incentives and credit for enterprises. The biggest chunk, Rp 150 trillion, will be set aside for economic recovery programs including credit restructuring and financing for small and medium businesses.

“I have just signed a Perppu on state finance policy and financial system stability,” Jokowi said in a telebriefing. “We will issue the Perppu to anticipate the possibility of a state budget deficit that is estimated to reach 5.07 percent.”

The relaxation of the state budget deficit limit from the current legal limit of 3 percent of gross domestic product (GDP) will apply for three years until 2022. “Afterwards, we will return to imposing fiscal discipline of below 3 percent of GDP starting 2023,” he added.

Indonesia’s fiscal discipline has been lauded, as the country has never exceeded its self-imposed state budget deficit limit of 3 percent of GDP introduced after the 1998 Asian financial crisis. The move to widen the state budget deficit, the first time in history, comes as Indonesia declared a public health emergency that involves imposing large-scale social restrictions as stipulated in the Health Quarantine Law.

COVID-19 cases in Indonesia reached 1,528 on Tuesday with 136 deaths, just a month after the nation declared it had zero cases. (The Jakarta Post)

Trade Minister Agus Suparmanto believes Indonesia is ready to face the humongous challenges posed by the outbreak of the coronavirus (COVID-19) by contributing through global collaboration with G20 countries.

The statement was delivered by the trade minister while participating in the Extraordinary Virtual G20 Ministerial Meeting on the COVID-19 global pandemic held on Monday (Mar 30) night, which was initiated by Saudi Arabia that assumed the G20 Presidency in 2020.

The Trade Ministerial Meeting resulted in an agreement on the significance of G20 to signal strong confidence in the global economy amid the COVID-19 pandemic by maintaining the flow of goods and services, particularly the supply of vital medicines.

"This agreement is a rapid response from the G20 to the global COVID-19 pandemic by ensuring the smooth flow of goods and services through joint efforts to mitigate the impact of COVID-19 on international trade activities," the trade minister noted in a written statement received in Jakarta on Tuesday.

Suparmanto expounded that this agreement was a follow-up to the mandate assigned by the G20 leaders at the Extraordinary Virtual G20 Leaders’ Summit.

Earlier, President Joko Widodo had participated in the Virtual G20 Summit on the COVID-19 crisis on March 26, 2020.

G20 leaders have mandated the trade ministers to ensure the supply of medical equipment and basic agricultural products, maintain global supply chains, and avoid trade disruption.

The trade ministers were also urged to immediately evaluate the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic in the field of trade and create a free, fair, non-discriminatory, predictable, and stable climate of trade and investment and to continue to open markets.

The Government of Indonesia has made ongoing efforts to overcome the impact of the pandemic through fiscal and non-fiscal stimulus packages.

In the trade sector, policy relaxation is conducted to simplify and accelerate import and export activities, get rid of unnecessary trade barriers, and improve national logistics efficiency.

"The main aspect is to ensure a smooth flow of goods and services across borders, especially for vital medical supplies and important agricultural products. The Ministry of Trade, under the coordination of the Coordinating Ministry for the Economy, is committed to launching the next stimulus package to overcome the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic," he stated.

During this discussion, the trade minister conveyed the importance of global cooperation to address the economic impacts of COVID-19, given the interconnectedness and concurrently the current global economic vulnerabilities.

The leadership of the G20 in restoring confidence in the global economy and continuing international trade has become indispensable at this time.

"It must be admitted that the corona outbreak is a global challenge that is increasingly difficult to handle individually. We have no choice left but to collaborate globally," the trade minister stated. (ANTARA)