Call for Mandatory Mask-Wearing as Iran Virus Toll Nears 10,000

Iranian women make face masks and other protective items at a mosque in the capital Tehran | AFP
Iranian women make face masks and other protective items at a mosque in the capital Tehran | AFP
TT

Call for Mandatory Mask-Wearing as Iran Virus Toll Nears 10,000

Iranian women make face masks and other protective items at a mosque in the capital Tehran | AFP
Iranian women make face masks and other protective items at a mosque in the capital Tehran | AFP

An Iranian official called for mask-wearing to be made compulsory as the country on Wednesday reported its highest daily coronavirus death toll in more than two-and-a-half months.

"It is certainly required that the wearing of masks becomes mandatory," said Deputy Health Minister Alireza Raisi.

"If we use masks, especially in closed spaces and gatherings, we can very much reduce the virus' spread," he added in remarks broadcast on television.

Iran reported its first COVID-19 cases on February 19, and it has since struggled to contain the outbreak at the death toll nears 10,000.

It has refrained from imposing a mandatory lockdown on people to stop the virus' spread, and the use of masks and protective equipment is optional in most areas.

The Islamic republic closed schools, canceled public events, and banned movement between its 31 provinces in March, but the government gradually lifted restrictions from April to try to reopen its sanctions-hit economy.

Official figures have shown a rising trajectory in new confirmed cases since early May, when Iran had hit a near-two month low in daily recorded infections.

Health ministry spokeswoman Sima Sadat Lari said on Wednesday that the 133 fatalities in the past 24 hours brought the country's overall virus death toll to 9,996.

That made it the deadliest day in Iran since April 6, when the government reported 136 virus fatalities.

It was also the sixth consecutive day that Iran has reported more than 100 virus deaths.

Lari added that Iran's virus infection caseload had jumped by 2,531 to a total of 212,501 in the past day.

There has been scepticism at home and abroad about the country's official COVID figures, with concerns the actual toll could be much higher.



Iran: Trump’s Victory Won’t Affect our Resolve to Retaliate against Israel

Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baghaei (Iranian Foreign Ministry)
Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baghaei (Iranian Foreign Ministry)
TT

Iran: Trump’s Victory Won’t Affect our Resolve to Retaliate against Israel

Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baghaei (Iranian Foreign Ministry)
Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baghaei (Iranian Foreign Ministry)

Iran has downplayed the effect of US President Donald Trump’s re-election on its decision to retaliate “decisively” against Israel's airstrike on Iranian military bases last month.
Meanwhile, diplomats have signaled Iran's interest in talks with the new US administration, without external pressure.
Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baghaei rejected any change in Iran's stance after Trump’s return to office. At a weekly press conference on Monday, he said: “Iran will never ask for permission to defend its sovereignty, and any aggression will be met with a strong response.”
Asked about the possibility of an Israeli strike on Iran's nuclear sites, Baghaei replied, “We have taken necessary steps to protect our interests and nuclear program.”
He also referenced Resolution 533, which prohibits any threat or use of force against nuclear facilities under the oversight of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).
“This document exists,” he said, adding that it stresses the UN Security Council’s responsibility to act against such threats. “A threat to nuclear facilities is a threat to international peace and security.”
On Oct. 26, Israeli warplanes attacked military sites in Iran after a large Iranian missile strike on Israel earlier that month.
Iran had launched 200 missiles at Israel on Oct. 1, in retaliation for the killing of Hezbollah’s leader Hassan Nasrallah, an Iranian Revolutionary Guard commander, and Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh in Israeli airstrikes.
The two nations exchanged direct strikes in April, but did not engage in full-scale war.
As tensions between Iran and Israel grow, there are fears of a direct conflict, after years of covert actions and indirect strikes in the region.
Since last month’s airstrikes, Israel has warned Iran against further retaliation.
However, Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei has promised a “severe response,” and other Iranian officials have threatened revenge.
In the days leading up to the US presidential election on Nov. 5, signs of further escalation emerged.
On Nov. 3, the US announced the deployment of new military assets to the Middle East, scheduled to arrive “in the coming months” to defend Israel and warn Iran, according to a Pentagon statement.
Iranian Army Commander Abdolrahim Mousavi said on Thursday that Iran will decide the timing and method of its response, and when the time is right, “We will not hesitate. Our response will be overwhelming.”
However, Iran’s verbal threats have toned down since Trump's election victory.