Hassan Rouhani to Head Coronavirus Combat Taskforce

Ali Larijani, speaker of the Islamic Consultative Assembly, had sent a letter to Khamenei requesting a decision on the leadership of the coronavirus combat taskforce. In response to Larijani’s letter, Khamenei stated that the leadership of this taskforce will be with Rouhani himself.

Following the escalation of the coronavirus crisis in Iran and the sharp increase in cases of the disease, some officials of the Islamic Republic had called for the management of the coronavirus fight to be taken out of the hands of the Ministry of Health and for another body to assume this responsibility. There was talk of transferring this responsibility to the government and to Ishaq Jahangiri, the first vice president of Hassan Rouhani.

Channel Two of Iran’s Islamic Republic Television broadcast the statements of Masoud Pezeshkian, vice speaker of the Islamic Consultative Assembly, on Tuesday evening, March 20 (March 10). In this television program, Pezeshkian formally announced that by the order of Ayatollah Khamenei, the responsibility for leading the coronavirus combat taskforce will be assumed by Hassan Rouhani.

Pezeshkian made public the news of a letter sent by Ali Larijani, speaker of the Islamic Consultative Assembly, to Khamenei, and further stated that Khamenei considers the president of Iran responsible for leading this taskforce.

Assigning this taskforce responsibility to the president reflects the sensitivity of the situation in Iran. The coronavirus epidemic claims the lives of an increasing number of people every day.

Based on official reports released by the Islamic Republic’s Ministry of Health, the number of coronavirus victims in Iran has exceeded 291 people. This is while reports from other news sources have put the number of victims of this disease in Iran far higher than the official figures.

On the other hand, contradictory statements by officials of the Islamic Republic of Iran regarding the number of victims of this disease have severely eroded public confidence in official statistics.

For example, Ali Akbar Mortazavi, the governor of Kashan, reported two days ago the deaths of at least 88 people in this city. Such statistics differ greatly from the official figures announced by the Islamic Republic. Previously, the mayor of Qom had also released statistics that did not align with the government’s official figures.

Leadership of the Coronavirus Combat Taskforce

Masoud Pezeshkian’s statements regarding the assignment of the coronavirus combat taskforce leadership to Hassan Rouhani come at a time when Rouhani has been less visible in public gatherings in recent days. This very issue has sparked heated discussions on social media with the hashtag #RouhaniWhereAreYou.

Some Twitter users wrote that “if coronavirus goes away, Rouhani will come.” One user, in response to the question “Where is Rouhani?”, wrote: “Everyone is asking where is Rouhani? What is he doing? Where was he during the threefold increase in gasoline prices? Where was he in November? Where was he when the airliner was destroyed by the Revolutionary Guards’ air defense? Where was he when the borders needed to be closed to China? Where was he when Qom needed to be quarantined? What was he doing? He is still in the same place now!”

The selection of Hassan Rouhani to head the coronavirus combat taskforce comes in response to the desire of some officials of the Islamic Republic to entrust such a responsibility to the council of leaders of the three branches of government.

On the other hand, the demands of many doctors and medical professionals in Iran for the necessity of quarantining a number of Iran’s cities and provinces have gone unanswered. In recent days, doctors have repeatedly called for support for the medical staff and the Ministry of Health in combating the coronavirus.

It is reported that many Iranian doctors and nurses have lost their lives as a result of contracting the coronavirus. This is while the Islamic Republic’s government has not released precise statistics on the number of doctors and nurses who have contracted this disease and possibly lost their lives.

Source: DW