Iran defends coronavirus response as deaths rise

Iranian President Hassan Rouhani has hit back at criticism over the country’s response to the coronavirus pandemic, saying he had to weigh protecting the country’s economy.
The virus has so far infected more than 38,300 people in the country and killed more than 2,600 others. However, Rouhani described international criticism at the government’s handling of the outbreak as a “political war”.
Iran has ordered the closure of nonessential businesses and banned travel between cities. Rouhani said that “these changes will likely have to stay in place for some time”.
Last week, Iran rejected “foreign” help on the ground to deal with the pandemic after an offer from Doctors Without Borders, a France-based medical charity.
Earlier, the country’s supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei refused American assistance to fight the virus, citing a conspiracy theory claiming it could be man-made by the United States government.
Iran has been repeatedly criticized for underreporting both its coronavirus infections and deaths. Last month, a lawmaker from Iran’s city of Qom, has accused the government of covering up the full extent of the coronavirus outbreak in the city, saying the death toll stood at 50. However, authorities rejected the report, saying the death toll was 12.