Mar 12 Iran asks for billions in loans as virus death toll climbs By Nasser Karimi, Aya Batrawy, Associated Press Iran asked the International Monetary Fund for a $5 billion loan to fight the coronavirus, the first time since the 1979 Islamic Revolution that it has sought such assistance, in a staggering admission of how fragile its economy has become… Continue reading
Mar 04 Virus halts pilgrimages to Mecca, Friday prayers in Iran By Amir Vahdat, Jon Gambrell, Associated Press The coronavirus outbreak is disrupting Islamic worship in the Middle East. Saudi Arabia banned its citizens and other residents of the kingdom from performing the pilgrimage in Mecca and Iran canceled Friday prayers in major cities. The decisions affected both… Continue reading
Mar 03 Watch 7:10 In Iran, government distrust rises amid deadly outbreak of novel coronavirus By Reza Sayah The global spread of novel coronavirus has hit Iran hard. Nearly two dozen members of the nation’s parliament as well as its director of emergency services are infected with the illness, and a third government official died from the virus… Continue watching
Mar 03 Iran orders armed forces to help with novel coronavirus after 77 deaths By Amir Vahdat, Jon Gambrell, Associated Press Iran's outbreak is the deadliest outside of China. Continue reading
Mar 02 Adviser to Iran’s supreme leader dies of novel coronavirus By Nasser Karimi, Jon Gambrell, Associated Press The death of Expediency Council member Mohammad Mirmohammadi came as Iran announced the virus had killed 66 people among 1,501 confirmed cases in the country. Continue reading
Feb 28 WATCH: Pompeo defends Trump’s airstrike against Iran and virus response By Eric Tucker, Associated Press Secretary of State Mike Pompeo defended the Trump administration's response to the spreading coronavirus and faced contentious questions from Democrats about an airstrike that killed Iran's most powerful general. Continue reading
Feb 27 Saudi Arabia halts pilgrimages over virus By Jon Gambrell, Associated Press The decision showed the growing worry across the Mideast about the virus as Iran confirmed that infected cases in the country spiked by over 100, to 254 now. Continue reading
Feb 26 An increasingly isolated Iran tries to control virus crisis By Jon Gambrell, Associated Press President Hassan Rouhani said there were no immediate plans to quarantine cities, but he acknowledged it may take “one, two or three weeks” to get control of the virus in Iran. Continue reading
Feb 25 WATCH: Pompeo blasts China and Iran for virus response Secretary of State Mike Pompeo accused the two governments of censorship and of trying to cover up the severity of the spread of the deadly illness. Continue reading
Feb 23 Iran raises death toll from new virus to 8, infections to 43 By Associated Press TEHRAN, Iran — Iran’s health ministry raised the death toll from the new coronavirus to eight Sunday, amid concerns that clusters there as well as in Italy and South Korea could signal a serious new stage in its global spread. Continue reading