Fighting coronavirus trumps other concerns, says Iran’s supreme leader

Iran’s supreme chief Saturday urged authorities to prioritize public well being above any financial or safety issues, amid the Mideast’s worst outbreak of the coronavirus.

Iran’s loss of life toll from the worldwide pandemic topped 32,000 this week. The authorities has resisted a complete lockdown fearing it will additional devastate its economic system, already weakened by unprecedented US sanctions.

Ayatollah Ali Khamenei informed officers throughout a gathering with the nation’s prime counter-coronavirus committee that “the main priority in decision-making is people’s health.”

Khamenei urged “all organizations” to observe strictly the well being ministry’s tips to assist limit the virus’ unfold, “regardless of other considerations.”

Some hardliner lawmakers have criticized Iranian President Hassan Rouhani’s administration of the pandemic and demanded his resignation. Rouhani is a reformist politician and in addition championed Tehran’s nuclear cope with world powers, which started collapsing after the U.S.’s unilateral withdrawal.

Lawmaker Mojtaba Zolnouri, who heads parliament’s influential committee for nationwide safety and international coverage, referred to as on his Twitter account for Rouhani’s “hanging a thousand times until people’s hearts are satisfied.”

Khamenei not directly condemned such inflammatory statements within the assembly, calling it “wrong.” He stated there’s a distinction between criticisms and insults.

Iran shattered its single-day loss of life toll report on Monday, and recorded consecutive each day an infection highs on Tuesday and Wednesday — then once more on Friday.

A prime well being official pressured this week that the true variety of deaths from the outbreak is probably going 2.5 instances larger.

On Saturday, the Iranian well being ministry put the official loss of life toll from Covid-19 at 32,320, including 335 casualties from the previous twenty-four hours.

Health ministry spokeswoman Sima Sadat Lari raised the entire variety of confirmed instances to 562,705.

Khamenei added the federal government’s administration of the pandemic is essential.

“In some countries, such as the United States, the worst management has been applied. But we must try to pass this incident, which is related to people’s lives and health and their security and economy, with the best management,” he stated.

Iranian well being minister Saeed Namaki stated within the assembly that the pandemic may solely be managed by imposing tighter restrictions.

“We must curb the disease by enforcing regulations and tightening legal restrictions,” he stated.