Iran has let its covid-19 outbreak get out of hand
A slow response and unreliable numbers are making matters worse
NOWHERE HAS covid-19 hit a country’s leaders harder than in Iran. Two vice-presidents, ministers and 24 members of parliament (almost 10% of the total) have contracted the virus. Two of those parliamentarians, as well as two former high-ranking diplomats and a member of an advisory council to Iran’s supreme leader, have been killed by it. Hassan Rouhani, the president, now hosts sparsely attended cabinet meetings, as questions mount about the absence of other senior officials.
This article appeared in the Middle East & Africa section of the print edition under the headline “Sickly state”
Middle East & Africa March 14th 2020
From the March 14th 2020 edition
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