Fox News Report on Coronavirus Outbreak in Iran; No One Believes Iranian Regime’s Statistics
American news network Fox News has published a report on the increasing number of coronavirus cases in Iran.
The report states that the number of people infected with the new coronavirus in the Middle East reached over 10,000 on Thursday, March 12, with the majority of these cases occurring in Iran.
Fox News says the Islamic Republic of Iran has stated that so far over 360 people have died from coronavirus infection and around 9,000 people have been infected with the virus. According to the report, the Islamic Republic has come under heavy criticism and been accused of presenting the number of people infected with the virus at lower than actual levels.
Matthew Schmidt, a political science and national security expert from the University of New Haven, told Fox News: “No one believes any figures that [are released by the] Tehran [regime].”
He said it is possible that “Iran is now the epicenter of the outbreak. The government continues to provide false reports about the number of cases and deaths. And this is due to both incompetence and cover-up.”
In another section of the report, Fox News stated that the Iranian government now blames the United States and the Trump administration’s harsh sanctions for its inability to fight the coronavirus outbreak. This comes as the United States previously announced that it has issued exemptions from Iran sanctions and allows the Central Bank of Iran to conduct financial transactions for sending certain humanitarian services. On Wednesday, March 11, U.S. Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said that U.S. sanctions are not an obstacle to countries’ humanitarian participation in combating coronavirus in Iran.
Earlier, U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo announced that assistance has been offered to Iran to combat coronavirus. However, Iranian media recently reported that the Islamic Republic is not accepting American aid.
The widespread outbreak of coronavirus in Iran has now become a crisis that on one hand raises concerns about concealing actual statistics and on the other hand complicates conditions through mismanagement for the people. Insufficient medical equipment and even lack of standard infrastructure have also caused the treatment process in Iran to face difficulties.
The Islamic Republic, whose many government officials and high-level managers are now infected with coronavirus, instead of quarantining cities and closing religious sites like other countries dealing with this virus outbreak, has only said that coronavirus must be taken seriously and is asking people to stay in their homes.
The United States has repeatedly condemned mismanagement, endemic financial corruption, and plundering of Iran’s assets by regime-affiliated officials, considering them among the main causes of Iran’s problems and the country’s poor welfare situation. Among other things, U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo tweeted several times about Islamic Republic officials, saying they have been involved in corruption instead of helping people in need.
Source: Voice of America
