RFL/RE – The coronavirus outbreak in Iran is among the most severe in the world and by far the largest in the Middle East, with official figures saying some 500 people have died and more than 11,000 are infected. But there are several indications the outbreak in the Islamic republic — whose government is known for its opaqueness and censorship …
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Rockets Target Iraqi Base Housing Coalition Troops
VOA – Security officials say a fresh round of rockets has hit an Iraqi base where U.S.-led coalition forces are located. It was not immediately clear if there were any casualties. An Iraqi colonel told Reuters at least 10 rockets hit the base. The unusual daytime attack Saturday on Camp Taji came just days after a similar attack on the …
Read More »US Fears Iran Facilitating Spread of Coronavirus
VOA – Iran’s struggle to contain its coronavirus pandemic could have a ripple effect across the Middle East, with some U.S. officials suggesting it could further destabilize an already volatile region. In particular, military officials worry that the regime’s slow response has quietly turned Iran into a launching pad for the virus, helping it to spread far beyond what officials …
Read More »Several Detained, Summoned in Iran After Publicly Criticizing State’s COVID-19 Response
CHRI – Members of civil society in Iran including a city councilman, soccer player, and journalists were detained or summoned for questioning after criticizing the Iranian government’s management of the country’s widening COVID-19 outbreak via postings on their social media accounts. Those who’ve been arrested include previously imprisoned Shiraz councilman Mehdi Hajati, who was re-arrested by agents of the Islamic Revolutionary …
Read More »What Spurs Iran’s Mahan Air To Continue Flights To China Despite Public Outrage?
Radiofarda – Many Iranians hold Mahan Air, believed to be under the direct control of the Revolutionary Guard and a source of funding for its activities, responsible for the coronavirus crisis in the country. They also say “the top culprit in the coronavirus crisis”, as a lawmaker put it, could not have continued its China flights, without permission from an …
Read More »Iran coronavirus toll reaches 514 deaths, 11,364 infections: Health official
Al-Arabia – The total number of deaths in Iran from the coronavirus outbreak has risen by 85 to 514, a health ministry official said on state TV on Friday, adding that the total number of infections had increased by more than 1,000 in the past 24 hours, to 11,364. “Sadly, 85 people infected with the COVID-19 disease have died in …
Read More »Pompeo Tells Khamenei Speaking The Truth To Iranians ‘Best Biological Defense’
Radiofarda – In reaction to Iran Supreme Leader’s accusation that coronavirus could be a biological terror weapon against Iran on, the U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo has said that the “best biological defense would have been to tell the truth to the Iranian people.” “The best biological defense would have been to tell the truth about the Wuhan virus …
Read More »Top Foreign Policy Advisor To Iran’s Khamenei Quarantined With Coronavirus
Radiofarda – The top advisor of Iran’s Supreme Leader, Dr. Ali Akbar Velayati has tested positive for novel coronavirus, Iranian news outlets reported on March 12. Before joining Ayatollah Ali Khamenei’s corps of advisors as top foreign policy advisor, Velayati had set a record by presiding over the Iranian Ministry of Foreign Affairs for sixteen consecutive years (1981 97). Seventy-five-year-old …
Read More »Khamenei Calls Coronavirus ‘Possible Biological Attack’, Asks Guards To Contain It
Radiofarda – Just days after reportedly designating President Hassan Rouhani to head the fight against coronavirus, the Islamic Republic Supreme Leader has called on the country’s Armed Forces to help contain the epidemic. In an “edict” to the Chairman of the Chiefs of Staff of the Iranian Armed Forces, Mohammad Baqeri, Ali Khamenei has emphasized on the need for setting …
Read More »Iran Continues Persecution Of Dissidents And Critics Amid Coronavirus Crisis
Despite a deadly coronavirus epidemic, Iranian security forces and Judiciary continue the persecution of political dissidents, activists and critics as well as the ill-treatment of prisoners with great zeal. A glance at social media platforms and even the highly censored Iranian media leaves no doubt that criticism of the establishment for its mismanagement of the coronavirus crisis, even from non-political …
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