Iran Unveils Second Homegrown Virus Vaccine Project

Iran unveiled its second homegrown coronavirus vaccine project Monday, the day before the launch of a vaccination campaign to combat the Middle East's deadliest COVID-19 outbreak.

“We will start human tests in the coming days, or in a week at the latest," Massoud Soleimani, a member of Iran's national vaccine committee, told journalists in Karaj near Tehran.

The vaccine, dubbed Razi Cov Pars, was developed at the Razi Vaccine and Serum Research Institute, which is linked to the agriculture ministry, Soleimani said.

At the start of Phase 1 of the clinical trials, "13 volunteers between the ages of 18 and 55" will receive a jab, he added.

The unveiling comes the day before the launch Tuesday of a campaign to vaccinate Iran's 80-million-plus population, starting with the Sputnik V jab, according to Health Minister Saeed Namaki.

The first doses of the Russian vaccine arrived on Thursday in Tehran, with two other shipments expected by February 18 and 28, according to Iranian authorities.

The Islamic republic has bought two million doses of Sputnik V, health ministry spokesman Kianoush Jahanpour told AFP on Saturday.

Namaki said last week that Iran would also receive 4.2 million doses of the vaccine developed by Anglo-Swedish firm AstraZeneca and Oxford University, purchased via the international vaccine mechanism COVAX.

The coronavirus has killed more than 58,500 people and infected 1.4 million in Iran, according to the health ministry.

Iran started clinical trials of its first locally developed vaccine in late December.

Photo: IRNA

Iran Expects First Batch of Russian Vaccine This Week

Iran's ambassador to Russia said Saturday that Tehran expects to receive the first batch of Moscow's Sputnik V coronavirus vaccine by February 4, state news agency IRNA reported.

The news comes just days after Iran's Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif announced the vaccine had been approved by the Islamic Republic.

"A contract for the purchase and joint production was signed yesterday between Iran and Russia," envoy Kazem Jalali said, quoted by IRNA.

Two more batches are to be delivered by February 18 and 28, he added, without specifying quantities.

Iran's supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei earlier this month banned the use of vaccines made by the United States and Britain, calling them "completely untrustworthy".

Iran is fighting the Middle East's deadliest outbreak of COVID-19 with more than 57,800 dead out of over 1.4 million cases.

The country says arch enemy US has blocked its access to vaccines through Washington's tough sanctions regime.

While food and medicine are technically exempt, international banks tend to refuse transactions involving Iran.

Russia registered the jab—named after the Soviet-era satellite—in August last year, before the start of large-scale clinical trials, leaving some experts wary.

Sputnik V's developers have since said the vaccine is more than 90 percent effective and several countries outside of Russia have begun administering it, including Argentina.

Hungary has also said it has reached a deal to buy the vaccine, although it has not been approved by the European Union.

Iran started clinical trials of its own vaccine in late December.

Photo: IRNA

Virus-Hit Iran Shuts Non-Essential Business in Much of the Country

Iran announced Saturday it had shut non-essential businesses in over half its cities and towns for up to two weeks and introduced movement restrictions to rein in its novel coronavirus outbreak.

Iran has avoided imposing a full lockdown since it was hit by COVID-19 in February, with President Hassan Rouhani arguing the country's sanctions-battered economy cannot afford to be shut down for an extended period.

Iran's coronavirus task force announced Saturday that only essential services—including health centres and pharmacies, food shops and public transport—will be allowed to open in the country's areas of highest risk, for up to two weeks.

These include more than half of the country's cities and towns, according to the task force, with Tehran and all other provincial capitals affected by the measures.

Private vehicles are also prohibited from leaving the worst-hit areas until further notice, and are banned from circulating between 9:00 pm and 4:00 am in Tehran and other large cities.

The task force said more than 53 million of Iran's over 80-million-strong population would be affected by the measures.

Rouhani warned that the Islamic republic was facing its "third wave" of infections, and said the new restrictions were a signal to Iranians that the problem is "very serious."

"We call on all citizens to adhere to all the rules, in order to reduce the economic pressure imposed today on businesses as quickly as possible," Rouhani said Saturday.

"We must convince people that we have no other option," he added.

‘Two Crucial Weeks'

Rouhani also promised to provide financial support of one million rials per month—about four dollars—"for the next four months to about 30 million people", without giving further details.

Iran is the worst-hit country in the Middle East, and its virus death toll has passed 400 a day since the start of November.

The health ministry on Saturday reported 12,931 new daily cases of infection and 431 deaths, bringing the total number of infections to 841,308 and fatalities to 44,327.

Some officials, including from the health ministry, have expressed concern that the real toll is likely to be higher.

On the streets of Tehran, the new measures were met with some scepticism.

Saleswoman Mahsa Teimouri said people had ignored health warnings about the virus before.

"It doesn't matter if the government imposes restrictions, since people do not comply," she said.

Nurse Ziba Amrollahi also said that rules were being flouted.

"There are people in the streets, and no one cares about complying with the rules," Amrollahi said. "People are travelling and attending gatherings more than they did in the past.”

On Saturday, the front page of the reformist newspaper Sazandegi showed a closed shop with a poster on its door announcing that "we stay at home because your life is more precious to us."

The government's official newspaper, Iran, carried the headline: "Two crucial weeks to control the coronavirus."

Photo: IRNA

Iran's Daily Virus Infections Top 10,000

Iran's daily novel coronavirus infections crossed the 10,000 mark on Monday, the health ministry announced, setting a new record as fatalities remained close to their all-time high level.

The latest official figure of 10,463 positive Covid-19 cases in a 24-hour period comes only three days after the Islamic republic exceeded 9,000.

Iran's coronavirus caseload now stands at 692,949, the ministry said.

The virus also claimed 458 lives in the past day, raising the country's overall number of fatalities to 38,749.

The previous fatality record of 459 came on Sunday, according to official figures.

Iran recently imposed several rounds of short-lived restrictions across the country to contain the virus, but the rising deaths and infections have prompted calls by experts and officials for a full lockdown.

Tehran's governor Anoushirvan Mohseni-Bandpey said on Monday that the lockdown proposal was no longer on the agenda as a new set of measures had since been unveiled, state news agency IRNA reported.

The measures, announced on Saturday and set to last a month from Tuesday, force the closure of non-essential businesses such as malls, small retailers, cinemas and gyms from 6:00 pm until the next morning.

It would apply to Tehran, provincial capitals and certain highly populated cities, according to the national anti-virus taskforce.

Iran has not imposed a full lockdown since it was hit by COVID-19 in February, with President Hassan Rouhani arguing the country's sanctions-hit economy cannot afford to be shut down for an extended period.

Photo: IRNA

Iran Imposes Travel Restrictions as Virus Deaths Hit Record

Iran on Sunday said it will restrict travel to the cities hit hardest by the novel coronavirus, state TV said, amid a record high of daily COVID-19 deaths.

The measure takes effect at Monday midday and will last until Friday, the broadcaster reported, citing an order by the interior ministry.

The restrictions prevent residents from leaving and non-residents from entering based on vehicle plate numbers, but do not apply to public transportation, it added.

It applies to the capitals of 25 provinces considered "red"—the highest level on Iran's colour-coded risk scale—and includes the capital Tehran with more than 8 million residents.

Violators will be fined, the order added.

Limited restrictive measures were imposed on Saturday in those cities, forcing the closure of some public spaces and businesses.

Daily deaths reached a record 434 on Sunday, health ministry spokeswoman Sima Sadat Lari said, adding that 7,719 more people tested positive for the virus in the past 24 hours.

In total, 35,298 people have died from coronavirus, according to official figures.

The rising toll has prompted several health experts and officials to call for a full lockdown in the capital.

Photo: IRNA

Iran Declares 'Full-Scale War' as Virus Deaths Hit Record

By Amir Havasi

Iran declared "full-scale war" with coronavirus as it reported a record death toll Wednesday for a second straight day and surging infections overload a health care system struggling with US sanctions.

The Middle East's worst-hit country recorded 415 deaths in 24 hours.

"This is the result of an unprecedented rise in infections and hospitalisations in recent weeks," health ministry spokeswoman Sima Sadat Lari said in a televised address, visibly moved as she gave the grim figures.

"We are now in a full-scale war with the coronavirus," she said.

The latest fatalities, 69 above Tuesday's toll which was also a daily record, raised the total virus deaths to 33,714 in the country of 80 million.

Lari said 6,824 people had tested positive for the virus in the past 24 hours, bringing Iran's declared cases to 558,648.

President Hassan Rouhani warned last week that his country was now faced with "a larger wave of this virus and we have to fight it".

Figures have kept rising since September.

"The main condition for overcoming this disease... and challenge is seeing change in the beliefs and attitudes of every single person," Lari said.

She said 27 of Iran's 31 provinces are currently "red" -- the highest risk level on the country's colour-coded scale.

Tehran province accounts for more than half of Iran's daily Covid-19 deaths, according to its crisis management chief, Reza Karami.

The burgeoning cases have overloaded Iran's already stretched hospitals, as renewed US sanctions since its withdrawal from a 2015 nuclear deal with Iran hit all sectors of the Iranian economy.

"Our hospitals are saturated with patients," deputy health minister Iraj Harirchi said earlier this month.

Queue for Beds

Patients are queueing for beds at some hospitals, he said, with staff also having to cope with their own "physical and mental fatigue" and spare parts shortages hampering repairs to medical equipment.

As the health crisis deepens, Iran's supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei made a rare public meeting with the novel coronavirus taskforce on Saturday.

"We must do everything" to reduce the number of deaths, Khamenei said.

Rouhani, in an October 19 warning of worse days to come, urged the health ministry to increase the number of daily Covid-19 tests to fight back against the spread.

Health Minister Saeed Namaki told state television on Wednesday that daily tests are to be ramped up to "25,000 to 40,000 or even more", without giving details.

Iran has been struggling ever since its first two coronavirus cases reported in the city of Qom on February 19, after having announced a suspension of air links with China.

After initial accusations of a slow response, the government closed down most public spaces and non-essential businesses in March, stopping short of a full lockdown.

But it gradually reopened the economy from April, arguing that sanctions left it with no other choice.

The Islamic republic has repeatedly faced charges of playing down virus figures, but officials insist they are being transparent.

Harirchi, however, has acknowledged that the actual figures could be significantly higher, mostly due to shortcomings in testing and reporting.

Many other countries in the Middle East have also witnessed a surge in Covid-19 cases.

In neighbouring Iraq, a lockdown imposed early in the pandemic has been dropped for economic reasons, even as deaths have topped 11,000 out of 460,000 confirmed cases.

Jordan had its worst day on Tuesday with more than 3,800 cases and 44 deaths, reaching a total of 668 dead out of 58,855 declared cases of Covid-19.

The kingdom has taken a series of measures to curb its second wave, including imposing a night-time curfew.

Saudi Arabia has been the worst-hit among the Arab countries in the Gulf, with more than 346,000 infections and 5,300 deaths.

In Israel and the Palestinian territories, more than 363,000 cases have been reported, with recent measures including lockdowns and partial curfews.

Photo: IRNA

Iran's Khamenei Calls for Every Effort to Stop COVID-19 Spread

Iran's supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei on Saturday called for stiff action to stem rising cases of novel coronavirus, in a rare public meeting with the national committee battling the pandemic.

"We must do everything" to reduce the number of deaths, Khamenei said, adding that health officials "must ensure that infected people are identified and treated from the start" of their sickness.

Iran is struggling with recent records highs of daily deaths from COVID-19.

Khamenei has, since the start of the pandemic, largely participated in meetings remotely via video-conference.

But on Saturday he joined the weekly meeting of the coronavirus taskforce in person, hosted by President Hassan Rouhani, with members all masked and separated by large spaces.

Khamenei called for "the need to adopt severe penalties for those who commit major violations of health regulations" established by the health ministry in order to stop the pandemic.

The "basis and the priority in all decision-making is the health of the people," Khamenei said, noting that "an autumn resurgence of Covid-19 is occurring all over the world".

Iran said the total number of victims rose on Saturday to 32,320, with 562,705 cases recorded.

Photo: IRNA

Iran Hits New Virus Records, Curbs Travel

Iran on Wednesday announced temporary travel restrictions on five major cities including Tehran as the country hit new single-day records in both COVID-19 deaths and new infections.

As well as the capital, the measures include banning travel to and from Karaj, Mashhad, Isfahan and Urmia, the health ministry's Kianoush Jahanpour told state television.

It runs from midnight until Sunday noon, only involving private vehicles but not "public transportation" such as buses and planes, he said.

According to Jahanpour, the measure may be renewed after Sunday and extended to other cities.

The aim was to dissuade Iranians from travelling at the weekend, which runs from Thursday to Friday in Iran, and a public holiday on Saturday.

"A large part of the population... is not being responsible," Jahanpour said.

A retired employee in Tehran named Pakzamir told AFP that "the authorities blame the people, but that is not true."

According to her, rising costs in a troubled economy are forcing people to "use the subway and public transportation, and that spreads the disease."

"The main reason for the rise in coronavirus (cases) is the government's lack of planning and not enforcing restrictions properly," teacher Fariba Ghasemi said.

Deaths and infections from the virus have been on a sharply rising trajectory in Iran since early September.

COVID-19 deaths numbered 279 on Wednesday as 4,830 new cases of infection were confirmed, the highest single-day figures since the country reported its first cases in February.

The novel coronavirus has killed a total of 29,349 people out of 513,219 cases in the Middle East country hardest hit by the pandemic.

The numbers are likely to be higher than officially reported, deputy health minister Iraj Harirchi acknowledged Wednesday, primarily due to testing and reporting protocols.

Iran on Saturday started imposing fines for the first time for breaches of health rules in the capital.

Tehran authorities on October 3 shut most public spaces and cancelled gatherings for a week, a move that was extended to Wednesday. 

It was not immediately clear if they were to be renewed again alongside the travel curbs.

Photo: IRNA

Iran Reimposes Restrictive Virus Measures in Tehran

Iran on Saturday reimposed measures in Tehran province to contain the novel coronavirus, state TV reported, shutting public spaces and cancelling events days after confirming another record number of cases.

The measures went into force on Saturday and were set to last a week, the broadcaster said, citing an order by the Tehran governor's office.

Under the restrictions, universities and education centres, mosques, cinemas, museums, wedding halls, beauty salons, gyms, cafes, zoos and swimming pools would be closed, state TV reported.

"Cultural and social events and conferences" were cancelled and Friday prayers would not be held, it added. 

The Islamic republic confirmed a record 3,825 COVID-19 cases on Thursday, surpassing the previous high reported on September 22.

The restrictions are largely the same as those taken early in the pandemic in Iran, which stopped short of imposing a full lockdown, despite facing the Middle East's deadliest outbreak.

The measures were progressively eased from April to avoid deepening an economic crisis precipitated by the reimposition of heavy sanctions by the United States in 2018.

Iranian President Hassan Rouhani called on Saturday for heavy fines and punishment for those flouting health protocols.

"We must set harsh fines for those who know they are infected but have not self-quarantined for 14 days or even told others" they have contracted the virus, Rouhani said at a meeting of the national coronavirus taskforce.

He added that government employees who failed to observe regulations could be suspended for one year if first warnings were not heeded.

Not wearing a mask would incur a fine and businesses could be closed down if health regulations were not respected, according to the president.

Iran's health ministry on Saturday announced 3,523 new COVD-19 infections, bringing the total number of cases since February to 468,119.

The day's death toll of 179 brought the number of fatalities due to the disease to 26,746.

Photo: IRNA

Iran Marks New Record Single-Day COVID-19 Infection Tally

Iran reported a new record number of COVID-19 cases on Thursday, with 3,825 infections confirmed in the past 24 hours, according to official statistics.

The figure surpasses the previous record single-day case tally of 3,712, reported on September 22. 

The number of deaths per day linked to the disease have remained stable, according to Iranian authorities. 

"We have unfortunately lost 211 of our dear compatriots to the COVID-19 illness over the past 24 hours," health ministry spokeswoman Sima Sadat Lari said in a press briefing. 

The new fatalities bring the total number of deaths to 26,380, out of 461,044 cases recorded in the country, which has been battling the Middle East's deadliest outbreak of the novel coronavirus since February. 

Criticising a "decline in compliance with health protocols" across the country, Lari reiterated a call for Iranians to observe regulations in place to stem the spread of the virus, in particular wearing masks where it is mandatory.  

"The trend toward a decline in mask use in recent weeks remains of deep concern for our colleagues within the health system," she said. 

Iran took various restrictive measures to stem the virus but stopped short of imposing a full lockdown to avoid deepening an economic crisis precipitated by the reimposition of heavy sanctions by the United States in 2018. 

Photo: IRNA

New School Year Begins in Iran Amid Concerns, Criticism

By Amir Havasi

The school year in Iran began on Saturday after a near six-month shutdown due to the novel coronavirus pandemic, with parents voicing concerns despite authorities pledging to enforce health protocols.

Some 15 million pupils in the Islamic republic returned to class, mostly remotely, as the country continues to battle its Covid-19 outbreak, the deadliest in the Middle East with over 22,000 killed and more than 384,000 infected since the first cases were confirmed in February.

The first day of classes at Nojavanan high school in northeastern Tehran was attended by a slew of officials and journalists, as well as students.

President Hassan Rouhani appeared in a video to inaugurate the new academic year at the school -- a break with tradition that drew fire from some Iranians online who thought he should have come in person if students were required to be present.

Education Minister Mohsen Haji-Mirzaei looked to assuage parents' concerns in a speech after he rang the bell to launch the new school year.

"I hope that families trust us and rest assured that the ministry will exercise utmost vigilance" regarding health protocols, he said.

Pupils and other attendees wore masks and were required to pass through a disinfection tunnel, have their temperatures checked and sit socially distanced in the schoolyard.

Other anti-virus measures at schools include keeping classes to 35 minutes and requiring students and staff to stay one meter (three feet) apart and wear masks, according to Iran's anti-virus taskforce.

Rouhani Under Fire

During his video address, Rouhani emphasized the need to for students to observe health protocols, calling for the "utmost discipline" in respecting measures.

Rouhani's choice not to attend the opening ceremony in person drew criticism from some.

"Rouhani rang the bell (to start the school year) remotely, then he expects me to send my son in person?" reformist journalist Maziar Khosravi wrote on Twitter.

Conservative film producer Mahmoud Razavi echoed Khosravi in a tweet, saying, "how can they expect people to trust protocols when the president himself does not, and send their loved ones to school?"

Rouhani's government had come under fire before schools reopened, with the head of Iran's medical council, Mohammadreza Zafarghandi, writing an open letter in which he called proposed health protocols counterproductive, as students could spread the virus if they were infected but asymptomatic.

‘Stressful'

This concern was shared by some teachers, parents and students at Nojavanan high school.

"Controlling (Covid-19's spread) is very difficult... as is teaching kids how to follow health protocols and social distancing," school principal, Nasrin Mobini, told AFP.

"We are all concerned -- my colleagues, the parents, everyone."

Literature teacher Amiri, 60, said the return of students to school was "stressful", but that it was important that the first classes be held in person so teachers and students can get to know each other.

One parent, only giving her surname as Azaraksh, said she brought her son for the opening day with "concern", but she preferred in-person education if health protocols were "really" observed.

Many students shared their parents' worries, but were pleased to be back at school.

"We're happy that schools have reopened, but... it's still dangerous for us and others," said 14-year-old Askhan.

Most classes are expected to be held remotely, though some pupils, including those in preschool and elementary school will attend classes in person intermittently.

Ava Golkar, 33, the English department head at Soroush elementary school in northern Tehran, told AFP that only five pupils attended the opening day in person, while the rest watched via video streaming.

Photo: IRNA

Iran Says COVID-19 has Killed 20,000 in Six Months

Iran's novel coronavirus death toll has surpassed 20,000, the government said Wednesday, six months after announcing the start of what quickly became the Middle East's deadliest outbreak.

The health ministry said Covid-19 claimed 153 more lives in the past 24 hours, bringing the country's overall toll to 20,125 dead.

Its spokeswoman, Sima Sadat Lari, told a televised news conference there had been another 2,444 cases of infection in the last 24 hours.

The Islamic republic has now reported 350,279 coronavirus infections since announcing its first cases—two deaths in the Shiite holy city of Qom—on February 19.

Lari described the situation as "concerning" in 26 of Iran's 31 provinces, among them Tehran.

She also stressed health protocols should be observed during the holy Shiite mourning month of Moharram, which starts on Friday.

"In no case should Moharram ceremonies be held in closed spaces," she said.

There has been skepticism at home and abroad about Iran's official figures, amid concerns the real toll could be much higher.

Authorities have not imposed a mandatory lockdown on the population across Iran.

Schools were shut, public events cancelled and travel between provinces banned in March.

Restrictions were gradually lifted in April as the coronavirus pandemic exacerbated a sharp downturn for Iran's sanctions-hit economy.

But deaths and infections have risen in the Islamic republic since hitting a months-long low in May, leading to a reimposition of some protocols.

Photo: IRNA

Not Cashing In: Virus Hits Iraq's Iran-US Money Trade

By Shwan Nawzad

In Iraq's Kurdistan region and at the country's Muslim Shiite holy sites, trading US dollars for rials from Iran was once big business.

But the money exchange trade has been hard hit by lockdown restrictions to stop the spread of COVID-19, and by deep economic woes in both countries.

Traders in Sulaimaniyah, the second city of Iraqi Kurdistan and close to the border with Iran, have seen dramatic changes.

In March, before restrictions to stem the pandemic which has killed more than 5,000 Iraqis and infected more than 130,000 others, one dollar traded for 150,000 Iranian rials.

Today, one dollar fetches 250,000 rials, money changer Amanaj Saleh told AFP.

Tehran and Washington may be at loggerheads—coming close to open war in Iraq at the beginning of the year -- but Iraqis have no problem keeping a mix of the rival banknotes in their wallets.

Betting on a rebound in the Iranian currency—and hoping the coronavirus crisis would pass quickly -- many Iraqis rushed to snap up rials on the cheap.

The dollar-rial trade seemed like a welcome alternative income during the financial turmoil, which has destroyed countless livelihoods.

A survey by the International Rescue Committee (IRC) aid organization has found 87 percent of people questioned said they could no longer work because of the disease.

Big Losses

Iraq is going through its worst economic crisis in its recent history, hit by a slump in oil prices that account for almost all public revenues.

Government austerity cuts are expected to be severe.

"Since the appearance of coronavirus and the economic crisis it has caused, people who can no longer work are investing in Iranian currency to make their capital work," said Saleh.

But the trader, a man with a small grey moustache sitting under a huge framed reproduction $100 bill, warned that not all had found profit in the gamble.

"Those who had bought Iranian rials at the exchange rate of 200,000 rials for one dollar, now resell them at the lower rate: 250,000 rials for a dollar," he said.

Many Iraqis use American dollars and their own dinars interchangeably, with the rates stable between the two currencies.

It is the big swings between dollars and Iran's rial that attract those hopeful of winning on the difference.

American sanctions have long stifled the Iranian economy, and the closure of official border crossings between Iran and Iraq has added to the woes.

Hazar Rahim, a laborer in Sulaimaniyah, found this out the hard way.

"A few days ago, I bought five billion Iranian rials," he told AFP. "I was betting on the market but I was taken by surprise. In a few hours, the rial dropped, and I'd lost 13,000 dollars."

Religious Tourism Frozen

Two of the most holy sites for Shiites, Karbala and Najaf, are both in southern Iraq. Millions of Shiite pilgrims, the majority from Iran, visit every year.

They bring Iranian rials to spend and trade. In past years, the visitors brought in up to five billion dollars -- crucial in a country where almost all tourism is to religious sites.

It also provided hundreds of thousands of jobs and accounted for around 2.5 percent of GDP, according to official figures.

But with travel restrictions in place because of the virus, the shops and restaurants once busy with visitors are closed.

Iranian arrivals had already slowed amid deep economic woes at home since the United States in 2018 withdrew from the Iranian nuclear agreement and reinstated punishing sanctions.

Coronavirus in Iran -- the worst in the region with more than 17,000 deaths and 310,000 infections -- has only worsened the situation of the country.

The crisis has reduced Iran's exports, causing devaluation and inflation.

According to the International Monetary Fund, Iran's GDP is expected to shrink six percent in 2020, after contracting 7.6 percent last year.

In Iraq, meanwhile, tougher times loom as well. The economy is expected to contract almost 10 percent this year.

But with few apparent alternatives, dozens of Iraqis keep coming to the money traders in the hope that times will change, the rial will rise, and they can cash in.

Photo: IRNA

Iran Reports Highest Virus Cases for Nearly a Month

Iran on Sunday reported its highest single-day novel coronavirus infection count in nearly a month, warning that most of its provinces have been hit by a resurgence of the disease.

Iran has been battling the Middle East's deadliest outbreak of COVID-19 since late February.

After a lull in deaths and infections from April to May, it now appears that the provinces first hit, including the holy city of Qom, are back in the same place as figures have been on the rise.

Health ministry spokeswoman Sima Sadat Lari said that 2,685 more people had tested positive for COVID-19 in the past 24 hours, the country's highest single-day count since July 8.

This raises total cases identified since late February to 309,437, she added.

Another 208 people also died during the same period, bringing the overall toll to 17,190.

According to Lari, the situation is "concerning" in 25 out of Iran's 31 provinces.

"Sadly, since late June, daily infections have been on a rising trajectory" in Qom in central Iran, she said.

"We are concerned that trivializing the situation and lax observance of health protocols may lead to a worsening of the outbreak in the province."

Lari warned against travel to Mazandaran, a popular northern tourist resort at the vanguard of the outbreak where daily infections had more than quadrupled in the past six weeks.

Official figures show a marked increase in deaths and infections since the end of June.

As a result, mask-wearing was made compulsory in covered areas and provinces were given powers to reimpose restrictive measures.

Iranian media said that renowned Iranian filmmaker Khosro Sinai, 79, had died from the virus on Saturday.

Celebrated and awarded in numerous Iranian and international festivals, Sinai was the latest high-profile figure to succumb to COVID-19 in Iran following several government officials and politicians.

Photo: IRNA

Iran, UAE Top Diplomats Discuss Virus in Rare Talks

Iran's Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif said he discussed the region's coronavirus outbreaks and other issues with his Emirati counterpart in rare talks held via a videoconference call on Sunday.

"Just had a very substantive, frank and friendly video conversation with UAE FM" Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Zarif wrote on Twitter.

"We agreed to continue dialogue on theme of hope -- especially as region faces tough challenges, and tougher choices ahead," he added.

According to UAE state news agency WAM, the top diplomats exchanged greetings for the Eid al-Adha Muslim holiday and discussed efforts to control the COVID-19 pandemic in the region.

Bin Zayed emphasised "enhancing international cooperation, solidarity and synergy between all countries" to tackle the virus, WAM said.

The UAE downgraded its relations with Iran in January 2016 amid fierce rivalry between close Emirati ally Saudi Arabia and the Islamic republic.

It came following the storming of Saudi Arabia's embassy in Tehran in response to Riyadh's execution of a prominent Shiite cleric.

Tensions between Tehran and Riyadh and its allies also increased last year following a series of mysterious attacks on tankers in sensitive Gulf waters, with Washington blaming them on Iran. Tehran denied the charges.

Saudi Arabia and Iran, the region's two leading powers, back opposing sides in several conflicts, including in Syria and Yemen.

Photo: IRNA

Virus-Hit Iran Warns Against Weddings and Funerals

Tehran on Monday warned Iranians against holding wedding and funeral gatherings as the country's novel coronavirus outbreak showed no signs of abating, claiming another 212 lives.

"Despite repeated calls to not hold weddings and mourning ceremonies, reports from across the country still indicate they are taking place," said health ministry spokeswoman Sima Sadat Lari.

"The presence of people at these overcrowded events increases the risk of mass infection," she added, in remarks aired on state television.

While there is no nationwide ban on weddings and funerals, the venues in which they are staged have been ordered shut and authorities have repeatedly urged people to keep such gatherings small.

 The Islamic republic has been battling to contain the Middle East's deadliest novel coronavirus outbreak since announcing its first cases on February 19.

Lari said another 212 people had died of the COVID-19 illness in the past 24 hours, bringing the country's overall death toll since February to 15,912.

She added that 2,434 new infections during the same period took the total case load to 293,606.

Government spokesman Ali Rabiei has also tested positive for the novel coronavirus, state news agency IRNA reported on Monday.

Rabiei had been "resting at home since late last week after showing some symptoms" but has since been hospitalized, IRNA added.

He is the latest high-profile Iranian official to contract the novel coronavirus. Several have died but most have recovered.

Virus-related deaths and infections in Iran have risen to record highs since hitting months-long lows in May.

That has prompted authorities to make masks mandatory in enclosed public spaces and reimpose restrictions in some areas.

Photo: IRNA

Confusion And Fear as Iran Says Millions May Have Virus

By Amir Havasi

President Hassan Rouhani's recent announcement that 25 million Iranians may have been infected with the coronavirus, a figure drastically higher than the country's official tally, has left many perplexed and fearful.

The shock statement came five months after Iran announced its first COVID-19 cases: the deaths of two people in the Shiite holy city of Qom.

It was compounded by Rouhani's suggestion his government was now hoping to overcome the Middle East's worst outbreak via herd immunity.

"Our estimate is that up to now 25 million Iranians have been infected with this virus," Rouhani told a virus taskforce meeting on Saturday.

Citing the results of a health ministry study, he warned that "30 to 35 million more may face infection" in the future and added that Iran had "not yet achieved herd immunity".

The number is far higher than the 15 million cases recorded worldwide and significantly more than some hard-hit countries such as the United States and Brazil.

It was also nearly 100 times worse than Iran's official infection figure of over 270,000 cases issued at the time by the health ministry.

Iran's toll has continued to climb since, with the virus having officially claimed 221 lives between Wednesday and Thursday, while infections climbed by 2,621.

Since he announced Saturday's massively elevated estimates, Rouhani has not mentioned them again, let alone elaborated.

But a slew of officials have since come up with their own explanations, with some saying the 25 million does not refer to full-blown infection cases but to all those who were "exposed" to COVID-19 and may now have a level of immunity.

'Strategic Mistake'

Iran's deputy health minister for research and technology said the figure was an estimate based on research carried out in March "on about 10,000 people in 13-14 provinces".

"It's been proven so far that these people's immunity is stable, meaning that they are like those vaccinated," Reza Malekzadeh told state news agency IRNA on Monday.

He did not name the provinces where this testing had taken place. Iran's population is more than 80 million.

A second deputy health minister, Alireza Raisi, said in a television interview that the figure of 25 million had been derived from serology tests.

Such tests are for antibodies and detect whether an individual has been exposed to any type of coronavirus, not just COVID-19, he said on Tuesday.

"In Iran and the world, various studies have been done on COVID-19 and the 25 million is the result of one such study and should not be seen as anything more than that," he said.

Raisi also denied Iran was now seeking to overcome the virus through herd immunity.

"Herd immunity is in no way part of (Iran's) policy and countries that have done it eventually regretted doing so," he said.

"There will be no immunity until we have a vaccine."

Responding to a suggestion that mentioning such figures and herd immunity may alarm the public, Raisi said in a veiled criticism that "emphasizing such numbers is a strategic mistake".

Yet according to Dr Emma Hodcroft, a molecular epidemiologist at the University of Basel, the estimate of "a country-wide seropositivity rate of 30 percent, from numbers given, would be far, far higher than we've found in any other country."

In an email to AFP, she noted that numbers that high were only found in "very hard-hit areas" like New York city, which is much smaller and more densely populated than Iran.

Hodcroft also warned against extrapolating numbers from antibody tests to the whole population, especially if they were done in very hard-hit areas of the country.

'Frightening'

Many on Tehran's streets appeared confused or disturbed by the president's statistics and complained of not having received an explanation.

"The way Mr. Rouhani put it, this means almost the whole population of Iran" have been or will be infected, said a 50-year-old businessman who only gave his name as Ashrafi.

"So, observing health protocols has been for nothing?" he added, saying the numbers were "frightening".

He also complained that Health Minister Said Namaki should have been the one who explained the figures and any move toward herd immunity.

Ashkan Daliri, a hairdresser in his 20s, said he believed the numbers to be real and "a bit scary".

He said he thought the announcement was meant to make "the people face reality so that they would be scared into observing health protocols more".

He added that herd immunity might be an effective way to control the outbreak, even though "it would mean more people would die".

An art teacher named Rezayi said she did not believe the numbers were actually so high.

"And even if they are, it's still hard to accept them given how the president has denied his statements before," she said.

She was referring to a comment Rouhani made days after the start of Iran's outbreak in February, when he said "everything will return to normal" within a few days.

Having come under criticism for seemingly trying to normalize the crisis, the government's spokesman later said that Rouhani meant a return to normal decision-making procedures by state bodies.

Photo: IRNA

Emirates Resumes Iran Flights After Five-Month Break

Dubai-based Emirates airlines resumed flights to the Iranian capital on Friday after a five-month break due to shutdowns to curb the spread of coronavirus.

Iran, the worst-hit country in the Middle East, has been scrambling to contain the pandemic since it reported its first two COVID-19 deaths in February.

Neighboring countries imposed travel curbs and strict quarantine measures after the first cases of their own days later, mostly in travelers with links to Iran.

The 16 passengers on the Emirates flight from Dubai passed through a disinfection tunnel and had their body temperature checked upon arrival at Tehran's airport.

In the departures lounge, masked outgoing passengers lined up at the Emirates check-in counter while an airport worker disinfected dozens of luggage trolleys.

The United Arab Emirates was among a list of countries that suspended all air links with Iran in February, along with nearby Armenia, Iraq, Kuwait and Turkey.

The UAE, of which Dubai is a member, is a key international transit route for Iranians and had daily flights to Iran.

"My colleagues and I screened the passengers for symptoms with interviews and we also have thermal sensors," said Nadia Piri, one of the airport's resident doctors.

Passengers had to fill in forms on arrival, Piri said, and would have to self-isolate for 14 days.

Airport deputy head Mohammadreza Karimian said a number of airlines have asked to resume flights to Iran.

"Different airlines have made requests, considering that we observe all health protocols throughly," he said, without naming them.

Photo: Wikicommons

Rouhani Says 35 Million Iranians Face Virus Infection

President Hassan Rouhani said Saturday that 35 million Iranians may contract the coronavirus, as the country still did not have herd immunity although a quarter of the population may have already been infected.

It appears to be the first time a senior Iranian official has indicated the country is seeking to defeat COVID-19 via herd immunity.

The virus has killed more than 588,000 people and infected nearly 14 million around the world since first being detected in China late last year.

Iran has been battling a resurgence of COVID-19, with figures showing a rise in both new infections and deaths since a two-month low in May.

On Saturday, the health ministry reported another 188 coronavirus deaths and 2,166 cases of infection in the past 24 hours.

That took the overall toll to 13,979 dead out of 271,606 cases since Iran reported its first cases in mid-February.

The rising toll has prompted authorities to reimpose restrictions in worst-hit provinces after being lifted country-wide in April, with Tehran extending them for an extra week on Friday.

"Our estimate is that up to now, 25 million Iranians have been infected with this virus," Rouhani said during a televised meeting of the country's virus-fighting taskforce.

"We have to consider the possibility that 30 to 35 million more may face infection," he added, citing the results of a study by the health ministry.

"We have not yet achieved herd immunity and we have no choice but to be united and break the chain of transmission of the coronavirus."

Rouhani's deputy head of communications, Alireza Moezi, said on Twitter hours later that the 25 million in fact refers to "those who have encountered the virus and achieved complete immunity".

Rouhani also said that Iran may have to prepare itself for double the amount of hospitalizations it has had in the past five months, according to the study.

The study shows that "out of every 1,000 infected, 500 show no symptoms" Rouhani added, warning that they present the main challenge by "spreading more virus and over a longer period" than those identified.

The health ministry does not report the overall amount of hospitalizations over COVID-19.

The Islamic republic has been struggling to contain the Middle East's worst COVID-19 outbreak since announcing its first cases in mid-February.

Iran has refrained from imposing full lockdowns but closed schools, cancelled public gatherings and banned travel between provinces in March, before lifting the restrictions the next month to reopen its sanctions-hit economy.

Photo: IRNA

Iran Says Virus Death Toll Tops 13,000

Iran reported on Monday more than 200 new coronavirus fatalities that took the overall toll in the Middle East's deadliest outbreak beyond 13,000.

"Unfortunately, in the past 24 hours, we have lost 203 of our compatriots due to the COVID-19 disease," said health ministry spokeswoman Sima Sadat Lari.

"Based on this figure, the total number of victims has reached 13,032," she told a televised news conference.

Lari said another 2,349 people had tested positive for the virus, raising the overall figure in the country's outbreak to 259,652.

Iran has been struggling to contain the virus since announcing its first cases in February—two deaths in the Shiite holy city of Qom.

The Islamic republic has refrained from enforcing full lockdowns to stop the pandemic's spread.

Official figures have shown an upward trajectory in new confirmed cases since early May, when Iran hit a near two-month low in daily recorded infections.

The Iranian government made the wearing of masks compulsory in closed public spaces from July 4, including on public transport.

State television, whose presenters now wear masks, said on Monday that police in Tehran were stopping commuters without masks from entering the subway.

Authorities in Qom tightened controls in banks and administrative offices to ensure the implementation of health protocols, including mask-wearing, Tasnim news agency reported on Monday.

The health ministry spokeswoman called on everyone to keep a physical distance from others, to wash their hands and to use masks.

"The more time you spend in an overcrowded environment, the more likely you are to contract the disease," Lari said.

Iran closed schools, cancelled public events and banned movement between its 31 provinces in March, but progressively lifted restrictions from April to try to reopen its sanctions-hit economy.

The economy is suffering under the pressures of the health crisis.

The country's currency, the rial, has hit new lows against the US dollar in recent weeks, mostly over border closures and a halt in non-oil exports, according to analysts.

Photo: IRNA