Iran

01 Mar 2020; MEMO: Iran’s death toll from the new coronavirus has reached 54, Health Ministry spokesman Kianush Jahanpur told state TV, adding the number of those infected had reached 978, reports Reuters.

“There were 385 new cases of infected people in the last 24 hours, increasing the total number to 978. The death toll is 54,” Jahanpur said, calling on Iranians to avoid any unnecessary trips and stay at home.

TEHRAN, February 28. /TASS/: The Iranian parliament will suspend its hearings next week amid an outbreak of the coronavirus in the country, member of the parliamentary presidium Mohammad Ali Vakili said on Friday.

"The presidium has made the decision not to hold hearings next week due to the risk of the spread of coronavirus," ISNA News Agency quoted him as saying. According to the lawmaker, "consideration of the budget will be postponed, possibly for a week".

29 Feb 2020; MEMO: America’s offer to help Iran in dealing with coronavirus is “ridiculous,” Iran’s foreign ministry spokesman Abbas Mousavi said on Friday, according to the Mehr news agency.

US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said the United States had offered to help with the coronavirus response in Iran, and raised doubts about Tehran’s willingness to share information.

TEHRAN, Feb 28 (NNN-AGENCIES) — Iran has no plans to quarantine any cities and towns despite the spread of the new coronavirus outbreak across the country, President Hassan Rouhani has said.

He told a cabinet meeting that health authorities would continue to “only quarantine individuals”.

Officials have asked people not to go to Qom, the centre of the outbreak, but have not shut a shrine in the city that attracts millions of Shia pilgrims.

Iran has reported 139 cases and 26 deaths in the past week.

TEHRAN, Feb. 23 (Xinhua) -- Iranian President Hassan Rouhani on Sunday issued an order to form a national headquarters to cope with the outbreak of the novel coronavirus in the country, state TV reported.

The Health Ministry was ordered to form a national headquarters to organize sessions and employ the potentials of the ministry to help contain the disease.

Since Iran announced the first cases of the coronavirus in the country on Wednesday, 43 Iranians have been confirmed infected by the virus, eight of whom have died.

23 Feb 2020; MEMO: Iran has confirmed 15 new cases of the new coronavirus, taking the total to 43 with a death toll of eight, reports Reuters. Most of the infections have been in the Shia Muslim holy city of Qom.

According to the Iranian Health Minister Saeed Namaki:

"The virus came from China to Qom city. A Merchant from Qom who died of the virus used to regularly travel to China … Flights were suspended between the two countries but he used indirect flights."

23 Feb 2020; MEMO: Iran on Sunday announced a 42% turnout in its parliamentary election, the lowest rate since the 1979 Islamic revolution, while its top leader said Tehran’s enemies played up the new coronavirus threat to dissuade people from voting, reports Reuters.

TEHRAN, Iran (AP) — Officials in Iran haven’t announced the voter turnout from parliamentary elections two days ago, but on Sunday the country’s supreme leader accused enemy “propaganda” of trying to dissuade people from voting by amplifying the threat of the coronavirus.

A low turnout could signal widespread dissatisfaction with Iran’s clerical rulers and the system they preside over. Iranian officials usually release turnout figures a day after elections.

21 Feb 2020; MEMO: Chief adviser to Iran Revolutionary Guard Corps, Brigadier General Ali Balali, on Wednesday claimed that as many as 120 US soldiers were killed in air strikes launched by the IRGC on the Ain Al-Assad military base in Iraq last month.

General Balali said the US committed a “grave mistake” by assassinating the late commander of Quds Force, General Qassem Soleimani, adding that the price for targeting him will be to expel American forces from the region, IRNA reported.

TEHRAN, Feb. 21 (Xinhua) -- Iraq closed its ground borders with Iran for three days on Thursday after the detection of coronavirus illness, named COVID-19, in Iran, official IRNA news agency reported on Friday.

Iraqi Airways on Thursday has suspended flights with Iran over the fear of the virus spread, IRNA confirmed.

Also, Iraq on Thursday banned Iranian nationals from entering the country and its own nationals from traveling to Iran.