Corruption in the Islamic Republic; The Iranian regime faces a new wave of corruption allegations related to the coronavirus

Iran's ruling regime institutions and officials have faced increasing accusations of widespread corruption and mismanagement, and even violations of US sanctions in combating the spread of the coronavirus.

According to Fox News, the Ministry of Health, the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, and two charitable foundations affiliated with Ayatollah Ali Khamenei have been accused of committing violations and corruption during the import of coronavirus tests from South Korea.

Fox News says it has seen a copy of a letter sent two months ago by a private company called Mehr Agency to the head of the coronavirus task force at the Iranian Ministry of Health. The letter, Fox News reports, describes a “competitive trend” between the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps and the Barakat Foundation, which is controlled by Khamenei.

The two groups appear to be fighting over exclusive rights to import and distribute test kits from South Korean company MiCo BioMed.

Previously, US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, in a statement titled "Khamenei's lies about the Wuhan virus are putting people's lives at risk," made statements about the Iranian regime's lies and cover-ups regarding the coronavirus.

Voice of America had previously reported that the Islamic Republic's own reporting and cover-up, in which several government officials and high-level management have also been infected with the coronavirus, has faced a lot of criticism both inside and outside the country. Government officials, who announced the news of the coronavirus outbreak in Iran late and only after the parliamentary elections, instead of quarantining cities and closing religious places, like other countries struggling with the spread of the virus, have only said that the coronavirus should be taken seriously and asked people not to leave their homes.

The United States has repeatedly condemned institutionalized financial corruption, rent-seeking, and plunder of Iran's God-given assets by the regime's affiliates, and has identified them as among the main causes of Iran's economic and financial problems. Not long ago, US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo tweeted about the Islamic Republic's officials that they were involved in corruption instead of helping the people.

Source: Voice of America