Brian Hook: Coronavirus Outbreak in Iran Result of Government Mismanagement
Brian Hook attributed the spread of coronavirus in Iran to government mismanagement and said that despite Tehran’s refusal to accept American aid, these offers remain on the table. America is also concerned about the infection of five of its imprisoned citizens with coronavirus in Iranian prisons.
Brian Hook, head of the Iran Action Group at the U.S. State Department, said today in Paris that despite the fact that the “Islamic Republic of Iran regime” rejected the United States’ offer of humanitarian aid to combat the coronavirus, the offer still remains available.
According to the Associated Press, Brian Hook, who participated in a press conference in Paris on Thursday, March 5th, said that America has asked Iranian officials to “specify and declare their required items and needs,” but they did not respond.
Based on the latest statistics from the Ministry of Health until Thursday afternoon, March 5th, 3,513 cases of coronavirus have been identified in Iran and 107 people have died from it. Due to the deteriorating situation in Iran, the Ministry of Interior has implemented the “Coronavirus Control Plan” as of today in three or four locations in Iran with the highest rate of contamination. The goal of implementing this plan is to “identify all cases of coronavirus throughout Iran.”
Mike Pompeo, the U.S. Secretary of State, announced America’s offer to provide assistance in combating the coronavirus and exchange information with Iran on Friday, March 1st. However, he told reporters that Tehran officials looked at this proposal with skepticism.
Abbas Mousavi, spokesman for Iran’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, responded to America’s aid offer by calling it “ridiculous.”
Request for Release of American Prisoners
The head of the Iran Action Group at the U.S. State Department also noted the increasing concern of American officials about the spread of coronavirus in Iranian prisons and said Iran has been asked to release all imprisoned Americans in the country or send them on medical leave.
Hook, referring to five American citizens imprisoned in Iran, added that Washington has begun efforts through Switzerland, which represents American interests in Iran. He did not provide further details on this matter.
The high risk of coronavirus infection in closed and crowded places has concerned families and some lawyers of political prisoners in Iran about their health. In recent days, these families had asked the head of the judiciary to allow these prisoners to go on leave. The lawyer of Fariba Adelkhah, an Iranian-French citizen, and Roland Marchal, a French researcher, both prisoners in Iran, also expressed concern about their clients’ infection in Evin Prison.
The judiciary, in recent days, responded to these concerns by issuing several circulars, including regarding granting leave to prisoners, controlling and reducing the entry of new prisoners into prisons, and postponing the execution of final sentences issued until 2020.
Source: DW
