Ali Larijani, Speaker of Iran’s Parliament, Also Infected with Coronavirus; Third Qom Representative to Fall Ill

The coronavirus test of Ali Larijani, Speaker of the Iranian Islamic Consultative Assembly, has come back positive.

The Iranian Parliament’s public relations office reported on Thursday, April 3rd, that Ali Larijani has contracted the coronavirus and is currently quarantined at home under treatment.

He is the third Qom representative in parliament to contract the disease. The city of Qom was the first epicenter of the coronavirus outbreak, and some called for the quarantine of the city in the initial days, but due to pressure from religious authorities, this did not happen, and coronavirus spread throughout Iran.

Ahmad Amir Abadi and Mojtaba Zolnouri are two other representatives who have contracted coronavirus.

Public opinion in Iran has been concerned about cover-ups by Iranian authorities. The first death from coronavirus was reported on the first day of Esfand, at a time when authorities had previously denied any cases of coronavirus in Iran.

The Islamic Republic authorities officially announced 3,160 deaths by Thursday, April 3rd, 1399, with the total number of infected reaching 50,468. This figure comes as a World Health Organization official stated that the figures announced by Iranian authorities regarding coronavirus cases represent only one-fifth of the actual number of infected.

Mike Pompeo also said on Friday, February 28th, in a meeting of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, that given the Islamic Republic officials’ history of cover-ups, the Iranian regime is unwilling to provide information about the coronavirus outbreak, and he is concerned they may have concealed important information.

This was the second time the U.S. Secretary of State expressed concern about possible cover-ups by Iranian authorities. Mike Pompeo had warned on Tuesday that the United States is concerned about cover-ups by the Islamic Republic authorities regarding the spread of coronavirus.

The United States announced on Thursday that it has issued exemptions from Iran sanctions and allows the Central Bank of Iran to conduct financial transfers for sending certain humanitarian services.

Source: Voice of America