Iran has suspended parliament indefinitely due to the coronavirus outbreak.
The decision came after two members of Iran’s parliament, as well as the deputy health minister, contracted the virus.
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Iran has the highest reported number of deaths from the coronavirus outside of China. A health ministry spokesman said on Friday that 34 Iranians had died out of a total of 388 positive cases.
The BBC reported that least 210 people have died. Ministry spokesman Kianoush Jahanpour accused the BBC of spreading lies.
The decision to suspend parliament came after Two members of Iran’s parliament have contracted the virus as well as the deputy health minister top Iranian officials, including lawmakers, contracted the virus.
RT reports: No time frame for the parliament’s suspension has been declared and the legislative body will remain closed until further notice.
The deadly virus did not spare top officials, including an Iranian vice president, some lawmakers and the Deputy Health Minister Iraj Harirchi – the latter had led the government task force to tackle the spread of the epidemic.
Iran is enduring one of the worst coronavirus outbreaks outside China, from where the virus originated. Globally, over 83,300 cases have been confirmed, while nearly 2,850 died from the virus, with the majority of them in mainland China. Apart from Iran, Italy and South Korea are experiencing major outbreaks as well.
Niamh Harris