Foreign companies will not be allowed to test Covid-19 vaccines on the Iranian people, President Hassan Rouhani said, a day after Iran's Supreme Leader banned vaccine imports from the United States and Britain.

“Foreign companies wanted to give us vaccines so they would be tested on the Iranian people. But the health ministry prevented it,” Rouhani said in televised remarks, without naming the companies or giving further details.

“Our people will not be a testing device for vaccine manufacturing companies,” he added. “We shall purchase safe foreign vaccines.”