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Iran Reports More than 1,500 New Virus Cases

Iranians wearing protective masks cross a main road in Tehran on April 13, 2020 during the coronavirus COVID-19 pandemic. (Getty Images)
Iranians wearing protective masks cross a main road in Tehran on April 13, 2020 during the coronavirus COVID-19 pandemic. (Getty Images)
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Iran Reports More than 1,500 New Virus Cases

Iranians wearing protective masks cross a main road in Tehran on April 13, 2020 during the coronavirus COVID-19 pandemic. (Getty Images)
Iranians wearing protective masks cross a main road in Tehran on April 13, 2020 during the coronavirus COVID-19 pandemic. (Getty Images)

Iran warned Saturday that coronavirus infections were rising in the southwest despite falls in other regions, as it announced more than 1,500 new confirmed cases.

"All provinces are showing a gradual drop in new infections... except for Khuzestan, where the situation is still concerning," health ministry spokesman Kianoush Jahanpour said in televised remarks.

The health ministry stopped publishing provincial figures for the coronavirus last month.

It has instead opted for a color-coded system of white for low-risk parts of the country, yellow for medium-risk and red for high-risk areas.

Latest reports have shown Khuzestan red along with a few other provinces, including the capital Tehran and the Shiite clerical center of Qom, where Iran reported its first cases in February.

Early last week, Iran's official daily caseload hit its lowest level since March 10, but it has since climbed again steadily.

Jahanpour said 1,529 new cases were confirmed in the past 24 hours, taking the overall total to 106,220.

There were 48 new deaths taking the overall toll to 6,589.

Of all those admitted to hospital, 85,064 people had recovered and been discharged.

Experts both at home and abroad have cast doubt on Iran's official figures, saying the actual number of cases could be much higher.

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Tens Killed, Injured in West Kordofan, Reports Say

 The public hospital in the city of Al-Majlad before the attack 
 The public hospital in the city of Al-Majlad before the attack 
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Tens Killed, Injured in West Kordofan, Reports Say

 The public hospital in the city of Al-Majlad before the attack 
 The public hospital in the city of Al-Majlad before the attack 

Dozens of people were killed and injured in a drone strike on a public hospital in the city of Al-Majlad, in the western state of Kordofan, western Sudan. The Rapid Support Forces (RSF) and local bodies blamed the Sudanese Army (SAF) for the attack.

“The shelling on Saturday afternoon killed 34 civilians, including medical personnel, and wounded dozens more,” the RSF said in a statement on Sunday.

Also, Al-Majlad Emergency Room, a local group in the West Kordofan State, posted a statement on its Facebook page, blaming the army for the attack.

Until Sunday evening, the Sudanese army had not responded to the accusations. Its official spokesman, Nabil Abdullah, has not answered calls for comment.

According to local sources, the attack on the hospital came shortly after the RSF had transferred to the facility dozens of its members injured in the fierce clashes that broke out last week with the SAF in Babanusa.

On Saturday, the Sudanese army had said in a statement that its forces in the 22nd Infantry Division operating in Babanusa, repelled a major RSF attack on the city.

On Sunday, the Emergency Lawyers, a rights group that monitors abuses in the Sudanese war, confirmed the deaths and injuries in the raid on Al-Majlad’s hospital.

“The hospital is one of the state's primary health facilities. It houses a dialysis unit that provides regular services to patients,” the group said, adding that the attack constitutes a “serious violation.”

The lawyers added, “We categorically reject any explanations that could be offered to justify this attack. We hold the parties behind the shelling fully responsible for the human and material losses.”

Meanwhile, local sources said that the majority of residents in Al-Majlad and the nearby towns and villages, mainly rely on this hospital to receive treatment and healthcare.

Earlier, SAF media sources said on social media that the military had carried out an airstrike on the city of Al-Majdal, without specifying the targeted area.

Despite international calls to protect hospitals during armed conflict, medical facilities have been repeatedly attacked, with both sides of conflict blaming each other for the incidents.

Last May, the SAF blamed the RSF for the attack on a hospital in Obeid, the capital of northern Kordofan, where six people were killed and 12 others injured.