All in News

Iran Says 92 Dead as Virus Reaches All But One Province

◢ Coronavirus has killed 92 people in Iran, officials said Wednesday, as the outbreak spread to all but one of the country's provinces. Iran's President Hassan Rouhani meanwhile dismissed a US offer to help it fight the novel coronavirus outbreak, charging that Washington hides behind a "mask of sympathy" while sanctions are depriving the country of medicine.

Coronavirus Now Well-Established in Iran: WHO

◢ The new coronavirus is well-established in Iran, UN health officials said on Tuesday, warning that a lack of protective gear for healthcare workers was complicating efforts to control the outbreak. “It is not an easy situation,” Michael Ryan, who heads the World Health Organization’s emergencies program, told reporters in Geneva.

IAEA Chief Demands 'Clarifications' on Iran's Nuclear Program

◢ The head of the UN's atomic watchdog on Tuesday sounded the alarm at Iran's cooperation with the agency and demanded "clarifications" over an undeclared site in Tehran where uranium particles were found late last year. The IAEA issued two reports, one on Iran's current nuclear program and the other detailing its denial of access to two sites the agency wanted to visit.

WHO Medics, Aid Flown Into Iran as Virus Toll Jumps to 66

◢ A plane carrying UN medical experts and aid touched down Monday in Iran on a mission to help it tackle the world's second-deadliest outbreak of coronavirus as European powers said they would send further help. Iran's confirmed cases leapt Monday by 523 on the previous day, hitting 1,501, said Deputy Health Minister Alireza Raisi.

Iran Reports New Surge in Coronavirus Cases

◢ Iran on Saturday reported a surge in new coronavirus cases as the number of deaths jumped to 43, but it dismissed as "rumors" a report the real toll was much higher. The office of Tehran's governor announced a reduction in working hours in a bid to reduce the chances of the virus spreading, state television reported.

Swiss Humanitarian Channel to Iran Takes Effect

◢ A new Swiss payment mechanism allowing food, medicine and other humanitarian aid to be sent to Iran without stumbling over US sanctions has officially taken effect, Bern said Thursday. Iran has been facing severe medical shortages since the US pulled out of a landmark nuclear deal and reimposed crippling sanctions on the country in 2018.

Iran Coronavirus Deaths Jump to 26, Top Officials Infected

◢ The coronavirus epidemic in Iran has cost 26 lives, the health ministry announced Thursday, with a vice president becoming the latest top official to be infected as the spread appeared to accelerate. The Islamic Republic has the highest death toll from the virus outside China, where COVID-19 first emerged.

Virus-Hit Iran Slaps Curbs on Travel, Shrine Visits

◢ Iranian authorities on Wednesday announced domestic travel restrictions for people with confirmed or suspected cases of the novel coronavirus, which has claimed 19 lives in the country—the highest tally outside China where the disease originated. The authorities also slapped curbs on visits to major Muslim pilgrimage sites.

Iran Virus Deaths Rise to 15, Deputy Minister Among Infected

◢ Iran said Tuesday its coronavirus outbreak, the deadliest outside China, had claimed 15 lives and infected nearly 100 others—including the country's deputy health minister. According to the health ministry, most of the deaths and infections outside Qom are among people who have recently visited the holy city.

Iran Nuclear Deal Commission to Meet in Vienna

◢ The remaining parties to the Iran nuclear deal will meet in Vienna on Wednesday, the EU's diplomatic service announced, after Britain, France and Germany launched a dispute process over Iran's successive pullbacks. The meeting will be chaired by senior EU official Helga Schmid.

Iran Denies Virus Coverup After Claim of 50 Deaths

◢ Iran's government vowed Monday to be transparent after being accused of covering up the deadliest coronavirus outbreak outside China, dismissing a lawmaker's claim the toll could be as high as 50. Authorities have ordered the closure of schools, universities and other educational centers across the country as a "preventive measure.”

Iran Coronavirus Death Toll Jumps to 12

◢ Four more people have died of coronavirus in Iran, a spokesman for parliament said Monday, bringing the country's overall death toll to 12—by far the most outside China. "The minister of health announced the deaths of 12 people and 47 cases of infection in the country," Assadollah Abbassi was quoted as saying by semi-official news agency ISNA after a closed session of parliament.

Conservatives Claim Victory in Iran Polls After Record Low Turnout

◢ Conservatives took a lead Saturday as the first results of Iran's parliamentary election came in, boosted by a predicted low turnout following the disqualification of nearly half the candidates. The conservative and ultra-conservative alliance appeared to have a comfortable edge in the capital in preliminary results, the committee's spokesman Esmail Mousavi said.

Iran Says Two More Deaths Among 13 New Coronavirus Cases

◢ Iran on Friday reported two more deaths among 13 new cases of coronavirus in the Islamic republic, bringing the total number of deaths to four and infections to 18. The COVID-19 outbreak first appeared in Iran on Wednesday, when officials said it killed two elderly people in the Shiite holy city of Qom.

Three New Coronavirus Cases in Iran After Two Deaths

◢ Iran has confirmed three new coronavirus cases following the deaths of two elderly men, the health ministry told AFP on Thursday, as Iraq banned travel to and from its neighbor. The pair who died were elderly Iranian citizens and residents of the city of Qom. They were the first confirmed deaths from the COVID-19 virus in the Middle East.

U.S. Sanctions Iranian Election Officials Who Bar Candidates

◢ The U.S. said it has sanctioned members of an Iranian government agency that it says rigs elections in the country by disqualifying candidates who don’t echo the political ideology of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. Five members of Iran’s Guardian Council and its Elections Supervision Committee, who are appointed by Khamenei, were added to the U.S. sanctions list on Thursday.

A Mother’s Pain Bares the Rifts Tearing Iran Apart

◢ When Hassan Rouhani was elected president of Iran in 2013, supporters pinned their hopes on him to revive the country’s fortunes and rehabilitate its relationship with the rest of the world. For retired teacher Manzar Zarabi, that hope crumbled into more insecurity, economic stagnation—and then unspeakable loss with the shooting down of an airplane that killed four close members of her family.

Iran Defends Barring of Candidates as Campaign Ends

◢ Iran's electoral watchdog on Wednesday defended its decision to disqualify thousands of candidates for a crucial parliamentary election in two days, as a lackluster campaign neared its end. Conservatives are expected to make an overwhelming resurgence in Friday's vote.