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RFL/RE – The global death toll from the coronavirus is more than 27,700 with almost 600,000 infections confirmed, causing mass disruptions as governments continue to try to slow the spread of the new respiratory illness. Here’s a roundup of developments in RFE/RL’s broadcast countries. Iran Iran has reported 139 new coronavirus deaths, bringing the total number of fatalities attributed to …

Radiofarda – A Judiciary official of Kurdistan Province in Iran on Saturday said seven of the 70 inmates who had broken out of a prison in Saqqez on March 27 have been arrested and two more have surrendered. On Friday evening Iranian media reported that around 80 inmates who were serving terms for common crimes had broken out of the …

Radiofarda – The Islamic Republic Foreign Minister, Mohammad Javad Zarif, has accused the United States of taking “several” Iranian scientists hostage. In a tweet on Friday, March 27, Zarif maintained, “The U.S. even refuses medical furlough — amid #covid19 — for innocent men jailed in horrific facilities. Release our men.” Referring to a report by The Guardian newspaper about an …

Radiofarda – The Coronavirus Control Task Force in Tehran has decided to suspend public transport in the Iranian capital, amid chaos and confusion about the recent restrictions announced by the government. The decision made on Friday March 27 which covers all subway and bus services in Tehran was announced hours after Tehran City Council Chairman Mohsen Hashemi called on state …

Reuters – Two intelligence officers at Iran’s consulate in Turkey instigated the killing last November of an Iranian dissident in Istanbul who criticized the Islamic Republic’s political and military leaders, two senior Turkish officials told Reuters. The accusation is likely to strain ties between Turkey and Iran, two regional powers which had grown closer under the government of Turkish President …