Contrary to Officials’ Claims; Chinese Passengers Continue Entering Iran
While Islamic Republic officials announced that the entry of Chinese passengers into the country would be stopped, reports indicate that these passengers are being transferred from other airports to Iran.
Based on images published on social networks, Chinese passengers in Istanbul who were not accepted by Turkish and other countries’ airlines are queuing to board an aircraft operated by Mahan Air.
One witness in this video said that these passengers are expected to be transited through Iran by Mahan Air and then returned to China.
This comes as Islamic Republic officials announced that the entry of Chinese passengers to Iran would be halted. The general director of public relations at Imam Khomeini Airport City said about Mahan Air flights that the company had two flights to Shanghai and Guangzhou that were completed yesterday at 12 o’clock, but since those aircraft were Iranian civilian aircraft and had to return to the country, they returned early Saturday morning, and after that there are no direct flights to/from China at Imam Airport until the next resolution.
These statements come as Bahram Parsaei, a parliament representative, wrote on Sunday, February 3rd in a tweet: “Contrary to the government’s decision, we continue to witness the entry of passengers from China into Iran and the transfer of Chinese passengers from other airports around the world by Iranian airlines. Is the aviation organization autonomous and not subject to the government?”
He further wrote that this defiance and recent aviation incidents show that preserving incompetent managers is more important than people’s lives.
In recent days, reports emerged of suspected cases of coronavirus infection in Iran, but Iranian health authorities strongly denied them. The head of the Communicable Diseases Management Center at the Ministry of Health reported the identification of 6 suspected cases of coronavirus in the provinces of Yazd, Tabriz, Qom, and Tehran. Hours after the release of this report, Iranian officials claimed that based on tests and examinations conducted, all cases were negative. Their swift response came at a time when in some countries, including the United States, examining suspected cases took at least two days.
Meanwhile, the presence of over 70 Iranian students in Wuhan, China, which was the source of the disease outbreak, has made headlines. They have been seeking to return to Iran for several days, but on Friday authorities finally announced preparations for their return.
Currently, China has quarantined all cities in Hubei Province, including Wuhan, the epicenter of the disease outbreak, to prevent the spread of this virus.
This is not the first time coronavirus has been observed in China or other countries. Previously, Voice of America reported that this virus claimed the life of an Iranian citizen in 2014.
Source: Voice of America
