Dubai - Iran's coronavirus death toll
has risen to 2,640, a health ministry official said on Sunday,
as the Middle East's worst-hit country grapples with the
fast-spreading outbreak.
"In the past 24 hours we had 123 deaths and 2,901 people
have been infected, bringing the total number of infected people
to 38,309," Alireza Vahabzadeh, an adviser to the health
minister, said in a tweet. "12,391 people infected from the
virus have recovered."
Health ministry spokesman Kianush Jahanpur told state TV
that 3,467 of those infected were in "critical condition".
"I am happy to announce that also 12,391 people who had been
infected across the country have recovered," Jahanpur said. "The
average age of those who have died of the disease is 69."
President Hassan Rouhani urged Iranians to adapt to their
new way of life, which was likely to continue for some time.
"We must prepare to live with the virus until a treatment is
discovered ... The new measures that have been imposed are for
everyone's benefit ... Our main priority is the safety and the
health of our people," Rouhani said during a televised meeting.
The government has banned intercity travel after warning of
a potential surge in coronavirus cases because many Iranians
defied calls to cancel travel plans for the Persian New Year
holidays that began on March 20.
The authorities told Iranians to stay at home, while
schools, universities, cultural, religious and sports centres
have been temporarily closed.
Iranian authorities say U.S. sanctions are hampering their
efforts to curb the outbreak and have urged other countries and
the United Nations to call for the measures to be lifted.
Washington has rejected lifting the sanctions.
Tensions have risen between Iran and the United States since
2018, when U.S. President Donald Trump exited Tehran’s 2015
nuclear deal with six world powers and reimposed sanctions that
have crippled Iran’s economy.
"US has gone from sabotage & assassinations to waging an
economic war & #EconomicTerrorism on Iranians—to #MedicalTerror
amidst #covid19iran. This even exceeds what would be permissible
on the battlefield," Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif
tweeted on Sunday.
"STOP aiding WAR CRIMES. STOP obeying IMMORAL & ILLEGAL US
sanctions."
The United States imposed fresh sanctions on Iran on
Thursday. Tehran has rejected a U.S. offer to help Iran cope
with the pandemic.