An Iranian health official said 15 million people may have been infected with the coronavirus since the start of the country’s outbreak in February, Iranian daily Radio Farda reported on Tuesday.
The estimate, which would mean one in five Iranians were infected, was drawn from serology tests to identify antibodies in patients who have recovered from the illness.
The figure represents 18.75 percent of the 81 million population of Iran, which on Wednesday recorded 176 thousand cases of infections.
“About 15 million Iranians may have experienced being infected with this virus since the outbreak began,” a member of the task force set up to combat COVID-19, Ehsan Mostafavi, said.
Meanwhile, Iran’s Health Minister Saeed Namaki on Tuesday replaced the ministry’s spokesman, Kianoush Jahanpur, with Sima Sadat Lari, and advised the new appointee to refrain from “political games,” according to Radio Farda.
Jahanpur often got into heated arguments with journalists and social media users over different coronavirus statistics that he announced daily.
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Health official says 15mln Iranians may have had coronavirus
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Health official says 15mln Iranians may have had coronavirus
- An Official said 15 million people may have been infected with the coronavirus
- The health minister replaced the ministry’s spokesman, Kianoush Jahanpur, with Sima Sadat Lari
Iran’s foreign ministry: ‘Time has come to defend the homeland’ after US-Israeli strikes
DUBAI: Iran’s Foreign Ministry responded to a joint US-Israel attack on Saturday by saying that the country “will not hesitate” in its response to the strikes.
In a statement posted on X, the ministry said: “The time has come to defend the homeland and confront the enemy’s military assault.”
The US and Israel launched a major attack on targets across Iran on Saturday, and US President Donald Trump called on the Iranian people to “take over your government” — an extraordinary appeal that suggested the allies could be seeking to end of the country’s theocracy after decades of tensions.
The first strikes of the attack appeared to target the compound home to Iran’s 86-year-old Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei in downtown Tehran. It wasn’t immediately clear if he was there at the time. Smoke could be seen rising from the Iranian capital.
“For 47 years, the Iranian regime has chanted Death to America and waged an unending campaign of bloodshed and mass murder, targeting the United States, our troops and the innocent people in many, many countries,” Trump said in a video posted on social media that sought to justify the attacks. He urged Iranians to take cover during the strikes, but then: “When we are finished, take over your government. It will be yours to take.”
In a statement posted on X, the ministry said: “The time has come to defend the homeland and confront the enemy’s military assault.”
The US and Israel launched a major attack on targets across Iran on Saturday, and US President Donald Trump called on the Iranian people to “take over your government” — an extraordinary appeal that suggested the allies could be seeking to end of the country’s theocracy after decades of tensions.
The first strikes of the attack appeared to target the compound home to Iran’s 86-year-old Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei in downtown Tehran. It wasn’t immediately clear if he was there at the time. Smoke could be seen rising from the Iranian capital.
“For 47 years, the Iranian regime has chanted Death to America and waged an unending campaign of bloodshed and mass murder, targeting the United States, our troops and the innocent people in many, many countries,” Trump said in a video posted on social media that sought to justify the attacks. He urged Iranians to take cover during the strikes, but then: “When we are finished, take over your government. It will be yours to take.”
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