Iran: Coronavirus death toll exceeds 650

The People’s Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI /MEK) announced this evening, Sunday, March 1, 2020, that as of 8:00 pm local time, the death toll from Coronavirus has exceeded 650. Some 150 victims in Tehran, 46 in Isfahan, 23 in Gilan, 18 in Lorestan and 45 in Kermanshah provinces have died So far. Additionally, 14 in Mashhad, 11 in Sorkh Hesar and at least 150 in Qom have also lost their lives. In other cities, including Ahvaz, Karaj, Andimeshk, Iranshahr, Bandar Abbas, Saqqez, Orumiyeh, Ilam, Tabriz, Saveh, Arak, Yasuj, Hamedan, Neyshabour, Semnan, Yazd, Qazvin, and Kashmar anywhere from one to several people have died.

The clerical regime continues to cover up the extent of the disaster through concealment and misinformation, causing the rapid spread of the virus. Meanwhile, a spokesman for the regime’s Ministry of Health admitted today that Golestan Province (northern Iran) has become an epicenter of the virus outbreak and the number of those affected is increasing dramatically. The number of those infected in Central and Isfahan provinces is on the rise as well because of their proximity to Qom and Kashan respectively.

On the other hand, preventive medical resources are essentially in the possession of the Revolutionary Guards (IRGC) and regime officials. Ordinary patients are deprived of many basic necessities. In a letter to Hassan Rouhani, the regime’s Health Minister wrote that the necessary masks had entered the black market and were being sold at exorbitant prices. IRGC controls the huge smuggling network.

Gholam-Ali Jafarzadeh, a Parliament Deputy representing the city of Rasht, said: “The situation in Gilan Province is more critical than other regions. Hospitals, and even their corridors, are overflowing with infected patients. In the countryside, a number of people have died with Corona-like symptoms. No one knows the exact number of those infected and those who have died. Official figures are more like a joke.

Mrs. Maryam Rajavi, the President-elect of the National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI), called for the immediate dispatch of WHO monitoring and treatment missions to Iran. She praised the dedicated medical staff and urged them to do whatever they can to assist the helpless people. Medical and healthcare facilities should be removed from the IRGC’s monopoly and provided to the physicians, hospitals, and the public, Mrs. Rajavi added.

She underscored that the regime’s resort to a cover-up is a futile effort to counter the people and the rebellious youths and to thwart the eruption of an uprising and popular anger. In such a situation, it is necessary to emphasize the need to express outrage and stage protests and strike to any extent possible.

Secretariat of the National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI)
March 1, 2020