Iran Reports Highest Number of Cases in Over a Month

A woman wearing a protective face mask and gloves walks past the Imamzadeh Saleh shrine in Tehran, Iran, on April 2, 2020. WANA News Agency, via REUTERS
A woman wearing a protective face mask and gloves walks past the Imamzadeh Saleh shrine in Tehran, Iran, on April 2, 2020. WANA News Agency, via REUTERS
TT

Iran Reports Highest Number of Cases in Over a Month

A woman wearing a protective face mask and gloves walks past the Imamzadeh Saleh shrine in Tehran, Iran, on April 2, 2020. WANA News Agency, via REUTERS
A woman wearing a protective face mask and gloves walks past the Imamzadeh Saleh shrine in Tehran, Iran, on April 2, 2020. WANA News Agency, via REUTERS

Iran on Friday reported its highest number of new COVID-19 infections in more than a month as it warned of clusters hitting new regions.

Health ministry spokesman Kianoush Jahanpour said 2,102 new cases were confirmed across the country in the past 24 hours, bringing the overall total to 116,635.

That figure is the highest Iran has announced for a single day since April 6.

The country has struggled to contain the coronavirus since its first cases emerged in mid-February.

Jahanpour said the virus had claimed another 48 lives over the same period, raising the overall death toll to 6,902.

The southwestern province of Khuzestan remained "red" -- the top level of Iran's color-coded risk scale.

Several more provinces could be added to that level of alert, he said.

"Other provinces that we may see rising infections in are Lorestan, Sistan and Baluchistan, and East Azerbaijan," Jahanpour said in televised remarks.

The spokesman issued what he called a "warning" to residents of the provinces to observe health protocols.

Lorestan lies in western Iran, East Azerbaijan in the northwest, and Sistan and Baluchistan in the southeast bordering Pakistan and Afghanistan.

Jahanpour had said on Thursday that North Khorasan province in the northeast may also be close to "critical condition."

Khuzestan is the only province so far where authorities have reimposed stringent measures like shutting businesses after a countrywide relaxation in April.



German Foreign Minister Assures Kyiv of Support on Visit Ahead of US Vote

04 November 2024, Ukraine, Kyiv: A screenshot from a video shows German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock arriving in Ukraine and being welcomed by German Ambassador in Kyiv Martin Jaeger. (Jörg Blank/dpa)
04 November 2024, Ukraine, Kyiv: A screenshot from a video shows German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock arriving in Ukraine and being welcomed by German Ambassador in Kyiv Martin Jaeger. (Jörg Blank/dpa)
TT

German Foreign Minister Assures Kyiv of Support on Visit Ahead of US Vote

04 November 2024, Ukraine, Kyiv: A screenshot from a video shows German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock arriving in Ukraine and being welcomed by German Ambassador in Kyiv Martin Jaeger. (Jörg Blank/dpa)
04 November 2024, Ukraine, Kyiv: A screenshot from a video shows German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock arriving in Ukraine and being welcomed by German Ambassador in Kyiv Martin Jaeger. (Jörg Blank/dpa)

German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock arrived in Kyiv on Monday pledging Berlin's continued backing for Ukraine, amid disquiet over the future of Washington's support as the US election looms.

Baerbock said Ukraine, facing its third winter of war, needs support to ensure its very survival as North Korea's military involvement and Russian airstrikes on civilian infrastructure exacerbate the conflict.

Her visit comes on the eve of the US presidential election, in which a win for Republican candidate Donald Trump could cast doubt on future support from Ukraine's top military backer.

"We are countering this brutality with our humanity and support, so that Ukrainians can not only survive the winter, but so that their country can survive. Because they are also defending the freedom of all of us in Europe," said Baerbock, embarking on her eighth visit to Ukraine.

Germany has emerged as Ukraine's top donor of military aid in Europe and has closely coordinated its support with Washington.

However, if Trump beats Democrat Kamala Harris in Tuesday's election, this close coordination could falter. Trump has criticized the level of US support for Kyiv and declined to say he wants Ukraine to win the war, which he says he would end quickly by pushing for a negotiated settlement.

The German foreign minister, who was last in Ukraine in May, is due to meet Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy and Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha while in the capital.

Baerbock said Germany had recently extended its emergency energy aid to Ukraine by an extra 170 million euros ($185 million) in response to bombed-out heating plants and power lines.

Since August, Russia has intensified its attacks on Ukraine, in what Kyiv officials say is Moscow's attempt to destroy critical infrastructure needed for heating during winter.

Russia will have to pay for the billions of euros in damage it has caused, said Baerbock, but until that happens, the Group of Seven (G7) will support Kyiv with some $50 billion in loans.

Under incumbent President Joe Biden, the US finalised its $20-billion portion of that amount with a pledge to pay it out in December, timing meant to shield the loan funds from a potential claw-back from Trump.