An Iranian lawmaker has died from coronavirus, the semi-official Tasnim news agency reported on Saturday, in an another sign the disease is spreading within state institutions.
Iran is one of the countries outside China most affected by the epidemic.
The MP who died on Friday is Fatemeh Rahbar, a conservative lawmaker from Tehran, Tasnim said.
Iran has been scrambling to contain the rapid spread of the infection.
An Iranian health minister said the number of deaths caused by coronavirus infections in Iran rose by 21 over the past 24 hours to reach 145 on Saturday.
The number of people testing positive for the virus increased by more than 1,000 over the past 24 hours, reaching 5,823 on Saturday, he said in a televised briefing.
Several officials have contracted the virus in Iran, which has the highest death toll in the world outside of China, the epicenter of the outbreak.
On March 2, Tasnim reported the death of Mohammad Mirmohammadi, a member of the Expediency Council, intended to resolve disputes between parliament and the Guardian Council, a governmental body that vets electoral candidates among other duties.
Iran's deputy health minister, Iraj Harirchi, and another member of parliament, Mahmoud Sadeghi, have also said they have contracted the virus.
Hossein Sheikholeslam, Iran’s former ambassador to Syria and former advisor to current Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif, died from coronavirus, state media reported late Thursday.
