[This is a roundup of news articles and other materials circulating on Iran and reflects a wide variety of opinions. It does not reflect the views of the Iran Page co-editors or of Jadaliyya. You may send your own recommendations for inclusion in each roundup to Iran@Jadaliyya.com]
A Rapid Decline
Iran's Coronavirus Death Toll Jumps to 54, with 978 Infected (1 March)
“Iran’s death toll from the new coronavirus has reached 54, Health Ministry spokesman told state TV, adding that the number of people infected had reached 978.”
Coronavirus Has Spread to Nearly All Iran Provinces: President (4 March)
“Coronavirus has spread to almost all of Iran’s provinces but the country will get through the outbreak with a ‘minimum’ number of deaths, President Hassan Rouhani said on Wednesday.”
Coronavirus Deaths Rise to 145 in Iran, Infections Near 6,000: Ministry (7 March)
“Iran’s death toll from coronavirus reached 145 on Saturday after another 21 people were confirmed to have died during the last day, among them a conservative lawmaker from Tehran, officials and local news agencies said. Announcing the latest deaths from the virus, a health ministry official said in a televised briefing that the tally of confirmed infections had increased by more than 1,000 during the last 24 hours, totaling 5,823 by Saturday.”
Death Toll in Iran from Coronavirus Reaches 429: Health Official (12 March)
“Iran on Thursday reported 75 new deaths from the coronavirus in the past 24 hours, the health ministry said, bringing the death toll to 429 in the worst-hit country in the Middle East.”
Satellite Images Show Iran Has Built Mass Graves Amid Coronavirus Outbreak (12 March)
“Satellite images of mass graves in the city of Qom suggest Iran’s coronavirus epidemic is even more serious than the authorities are admitting. The pictures, first published by the New York Times, show the excavation of a new section in a cemetery on the northern fringe of Iran’s holy city in late February, and two long trenches dug, of a total length of 100 yards, by the end of the month.”
Iran's Death Toll from Coronavirus Rises to 1,284: Official (19 March)
“The new coronavirus is killing one person every 10 minutes in Iran, the health ministry spokesman tweeted on Thursday, as the death toll in the Middle East’s worst-affected country climbed to 1,284. ‘Based on our information, every 10 minutes one person dies from the coronavirus and some 50 people become infected with the virus every hour in Iran,’ Kianush Jahanpur tweeted.”
Iran's Coronavirus Deaths Rise to 1,556, Infections Exceed 20,000: Health Ministry (21 March)
“Iran’s death toll from the coronavirus outbreak rose by more than 100 to 1,556 on Saturday and the total number of people infected now exceeds 20,000, a health ministry official said. Iran, one of the countries most affected by the pandemic outside China, had on Friday reported a death toll of 1,433 and a total number of confirmed infections of 19,644.”
Containment Efforts
Iran Finds Millions of Hoarded Gloves as Coronavirus Deaths Hit 66 (2 March)
“The hoarded supplies, including 28 million medical gloves, were found in two warehouses in Kahrizak, a town about 25 km south of Tehran, a Revolutionary Guards commander, Hassan Hassanzadeh, told the Fars news agency. Pharmacies are short of gloves and other supplies. Anyone found hoarding medical supplies will be dealt with harshly, Iran’s judiciary chief Ebrahim Raisi said on Monday, according to Mizan, the news site of the judiciary.”
Iran to Use Phone Checks for Coronavirus, School Closure Extended (5 March)
“Iran will keep schools and universities closed for another two weeks and check up on people in the worst affected areas by telephone, the health minister said on Thursday, after concerns were raised an earlier plan for home visits could spread the disease.”
Bahrain Accuses Iran of 'Biological Aggression', Gulf States Try to Curb Coronavirus (11March)
“Bahrain accused Iran on Thursday of ‘biological aggression’ by covering up the spread of the coronavirus and failing to stamp Bahraini travelers’ passports.”
Iran Asks IMF for $5bn Emergency Funding to Fight Coronavirus (12 March)
“Iran has asked the International Monetary Fund (IMF) for emergency funding to help it fight the coronavirus outbreak that has hit the Islamic republic hard, Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif said on Thursday.”
Iran Security Forces to Empty City Streets to Fight Coronavirus (13 March)
“Security forces will empty the streets of cities across Iran in the next 24 hours in a drive to fight the spread of the new coronavirus, state television reported on Friday. The move came as the World Health Organization (WHO) said Iran needed to do more to contain the disease. Tehran has recorded 514 people killed and 11,364 diagnosed infections, making Iran one of the worst affected countries outside China.”
Revolutionary Guards to Enforce Coronavirus Controls in Iran (13 March)
“Iran’s Revolutionary Guards are to clear streets, shops and public places in the country within the next 24 hours, in a dramatic escalation of efforts to combat the spread of coronavirus. The near-curfew follows growing exasperation among MPs that calls for Iranian citizens to stay at home had been widely ignored, as people continued to travel before the Nowruz new year holidays. Shops and offices have largely remained open.”
Half of Iranian Government Employees to Work Remotely amid Coronavirus: Rouhani (24 March)
“President Hassan Rouhani said on Tuesday about half of all Iranian government employees were staying at home as part of measures to contain the coronavirus outbreak in the Middle East’s worst-affected country, state television reported.”
Iran Fears Second Wave of Coronavirus as Death Toll Rises to 2,077 (25 March)
“Iran may face a second outbreak of the coronavirus pandemic, a government spokesman said on Wednesday, as the Islamic Republic banned internal travel and traditional gatherings in parks during the Persian New Year holiday period.”
Iran Starts Intercity Travel Ban amid Fears of Surge of Coronavirus (25 March)
“Iran has started an intercity travel ban, an Iranian official said in a televised news conference on Thursday, a day after Iran’s government spokesman warned the country might face a surge of cases in the coronavirus pandemic.”
Iran Has Limited Scope for Coronavirus Economic Stimulus (25 March)
“Shut out of international capital markets and facing a further hit to its finances with the collapse in oil prices coming on top of U.S. sanctions, Iran is struggling to shield its economy from the coronavirus pandemic.”
Iran to Use 20% of State Budget to Fight Coronavirus (28 March)
“Iran is to allocate 20% of its annual state budget to fighting the coronavirus outbreak in the country, one of the worst-hit in the world, President Hassan Rouhani said on Saturday.”
Iran Plans Tougher Restrictions as Coronavirus Toll Rises (30 March)
“Iran had 117 new coronavirus deaths in the last 24 hours, bringing the total to 2,757, a health ministry spokesman said on Monday, prompting the Middle East’s worst hit country to consider tougher curbs on movement. The total number of infections climbed to 41,495.”
Political Repercussions
Iran's Vice President and Two Ministers Stricken by Coronavirus (11 March)
“Iran's senior vice president and two other cabinet members have the new coronavirus, the semiofficial Fars news agency reported. The news report on Wednesday comes amid days of speculation about the health of Vice President Eshaq Jahangiri, who has not been seen in images of recent top-level meetings.”
Coronavirus Kills Iran Religious Leader as Death Toll Jumps Again (16 March)
“COVID-19 has killed a member of the clerical body that appoints the supreme leader, according to Iranian state media, the latest official in the country to die of the highly infectious disease caused by the new coronavirus. Ayatollah Hashem Bathayi Golpayegani, 78, died two days after testing positive for the new coronavirus and being hospitalised, state news agency IRNA reported on Monday.”
Coronavirus Outbreak Eclipses Last Bright Spot in Iran's Economy (18 March)
“Tourism was one of the few sectors of Iran's economy that had not fallen prey to successive rounds of United States economic sanctions unleashed by the administration of US President Donald Trump when it unilaterally withdrew from the Iran nuclear deal with world powers in 2018. But now Iran is facing an even more formidable foe than Washington, as the coronavirus pandemic sweeps through the Islamic Republic.”
Ongoing Tensions
US Congress Votes to Limit Trump's War Powers against Iran (11 March)
“The United States House of Representatives approved on Wednesday a War Powers Resolution aimed at limiting President Donald Trump's ability to wage war against Iran. The passage of the resolution was yet another rebuke of the president over his decision to order the killing of Iranian General Qassem Soleimani in January amid escalating tensions with Tehran.”
U.S. Wages Retaliatory Strikes Against Iran-backed Militia in Iraq (12 March)
“The United States waged a series of precision air strikes on Thursday against an Iran-backed militia in Iraq that it blamed for a major rocket attack a day earlier that killed two American troops and a 26-year-old British soldier.”
UK Soldier and Two Americans Killed in Rocket Attack in Iraq (12 March)
“Three people have been killed after a base hosting US and UK troops in Iraq was hit by a rocket attack. At least 12 people were injured in the attack on the Taji military camp, north of Baghdad."
Trump, Pompeo Walk to Brink of Blaming Iran for Rocket Attack (20 March)
“President Donald Trump and Secretary of State Mike Pompeo on Friday came close to blaming Iran for a rocket attack in Iraq last week in which two American troops and a British service member were killed.”
Unrelenting Sanctions
U.S. Sanctions 'Severely Hamper' Iran Coronavirus Fight, Rouhani Says (14 March)
“President Hassan Rouhani said Iran’s fight against the coronavirus was being ‘severely hampered’ by U.S. sanctions, as state television reported that the death toll from the illness rose on Saturday to 611, up nearly 100 from a day earlier.”
U.S. Seen Spurning China's Coronavirus-linked Call for Iran Sanctions Relief (16 March)
“The United States is unlikely to ease sanctions on Iran despite an appeal from China that it do so because of the coronavirus pandemic, sources familiar with the matter said, arguing that Tehran continues what Washington regards as its malign behavior.”
U.S. Sanctions Iran, Seeks Release of Americans Amid Coronavirus Outbreak (17 March)
“The United States imposed fresh sanctions on Iran on Tuesday, keeping up its economic pressure campaign even as it offered to help Tehran cope with the coronavirus pandemic and called on the Islamic Republic to release detained Americans.”
U.S. Blacklists Chinese, South African Companies over Iran Oil Trade (18 March)
“The United States on Wednesday identified seven companies that it has blacklisted for trade in Iranian petrochemicals - three based in mainland China, three in Hong Kong and one in South Africa - the State Department said in a statement.”
U.S. to Iran: Coronavirus Won't Save You from Sanctions (20 March)
“The United States sent Iran a blunt message this week: the spread of the coronavirus will not save it from U.S. sanctions that are choking off its oil revenues and isolating its economy.”
U.S. Imposes Fresh Iran-related Sanctions Despite Coronavirus (26 March)
“The United States blacklisted five Iran- and Iraq-based companies and 15 individuals on Thursday for supporting terrorist groups, its third round of sanctions on Iranian targets in the last two weeks even as Tehran battles the coronavirus outbreak.”
As COVID-19 Rages, US Slaps New Sanctions on Iranian Individuals (26 March)
“As Iran struggles to battle the spread of COVID-19, the United States on Thursday heaped more economic pressure on the country by slapping a fresh round of sanctions on more than a dozen Iranian individuals and five companies.”
U.S. Renews Sanctions Waivers Allowing Iran Nonproliferation Work (30 March)
The United States has allowed Russian, Chinese and European companies to continue their work at Iranian nuclear sites to make it harder for Tehran to develop nuclear weapons, the U.S. State Department said on Monday.
Lift Sanctions on Iran, North Korea, Venezuela in Coronavirus Crisis: U.N. Rights Expert (31 March)
“A U.N. human rights expert called on Tuesday for lifting international sanctions against countries ranging from Iran to North Korea and Venezuela to ensure that food supplies reach hungry populations during the coronavirus pandemic.”
Prisoners
Iran Temporarily Releases 70,000 Prisoners as Coronavirus Cases Surge (9 March)
“Iran has temporarily freed about 70,000 prisoners to combat the spread of the coronavirus in jails, the head of the judiciary said on Monday, as officials reported hundreds of new infections and dozens more deaths across the country.”
U.N. Urges Iran to Free Political Prisoners Temporarily Amid Coronavirus (10 March)
“The U.N. Special Rapporteur on human rights in Iran said on Tuesday he had asked Iran to free all political prisoners temporarily from its overcrowded and disease-ridden jails to help stem the spread of coronavirus.”
Responding to U.S., Iran Frets for Jailed Citizens amid Coronavirus (11 March)
“Iran expressed concern on Wednesday about the health of imprisoned Iranians in the United States amid the coronavirus outbreak, a day after Washington called on Tehran to free detained Americans.”
Iran Temporarily Frees 85,000 From Jail Including Political Prisoners (17 March)
“Iran has temporarily freed about 85,000 people from jail, including political prisoners, in response to the coronavirus epidemic, a judiciary spokesman said on Tuesday.”
British-Iranian Aid Worker Zaghari-Ratcliffe Temporarily Released from Iran Jail (17 March)
“Jailed British-Iranian aid worker Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe has been temporarily released in Iran for two weeks, her husband said on Tuesday. Zaghari-Ratcliffe, 40, a project manager with the Thomson Reuters Foundation, was arrested in April 2016 at a Tehran airport as she headed back to Britain with her daughter after a family visit.”
Iran's Supreme Leader to Pardon 10,000 Prisoners, Including Political Ones (18 March)
“Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei will pardon 10,000 prisoners including political ones in honor of the Iranian new year on Friday, state TV reported.”
Pompeo says U.S. Citizen Detained in Iran Since 2018 Released on Medical Furlough (19 March)
“U.S. citizen Michael White who has been detained in Iran since 2018 has been released on Thursday on medical furlough, U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said, adding that the U.S. navy veteran was currently under the custody of the Swiss government.”
Iran Urges U.S. to Free Iranian Prisoners Amid Coronavirus (27 March)
“The Tehran government urged the United States on Friday to release Iranians held in U.S. jails on sanctions-related issues due to fears about the coronavirus epidemic.”
Iran Extends Prison Furloughs as Coronavirus Death Toll Rises (29 March)
“Iran’s coronavirus death toll has risen to 2,640, a health ministry official said on Sunday, as the Middle East’s worst-hit country grapples with the fast-spreading outbreak.”
Prison Riot in Southern Iran over Coronavirus Fears (30 March)
“Inmates at a prison in southern Iran have staged a riot over fears of contamination amid a coronavirus outbreak that has seen more than 40,000 infections and 2,757 deaths in the country.”
Editorial/Analysis
How U.S. Sanctions Intensify the Spread of the Coronavirus in Iran (17 March)
Keyvan Shafiei writes in The American Prospect: “First and foremost, we have to bear in mind that this pandemic is a crisis without borders. While many of us fear for the safety of our loved ones in the U.S., it is imperative that we do not forget that millions of others are facing similar (and perhaps even more uncertain) risks outside the U.S. But we should further channel this compassion to demand that our elected officials pressure the Trump administration into temporarily lifting the sanctions—as Trump’s predecessors did during times of crisis. Rep. Ilhan Omar, for instance, has in recent days urged the Congress to demand a suspension of these measures, which we know are inhibiting the flow of humanitarian goods into Iran. And we, as concerned citizens and members of a global community, can demand that other officials in Congress join such calls to lift the brutal sanctions on Iran, for the practical reason of containing the further outbreak of this pandemic, but also on the moral grounds that innocent people should not have to pay for political disagreements between governments.”
Trump’s Callous Sanctions Risk Tipping Iran Over the Nuclear Precipice (21 March)
Simon Tisdall writes in The Guardian: “Callous US disregard for Iran’s Covid-19 emergency – it is effectively blocking bilateral medical aid and a request for a $5bn loan from the International Monetary Fund – suggests that Washington is not interested in confidence-building measures.”
End US Sanctions Against Iran So That We Can Fight Coronavirus with All Our Might (21 March)
Azadeh Moaveni and Sussan Tahmasebi write in The Guardian: “Suspending sanctions during this pandemic should not be seen as a troubling or even monumental thing to do. Proponents of sanctions in the US administration insist that only extreme pressure will bring about changes in Iranian policy – but we are in different times now. Controlling the virus would not be a favour to the Iranian government, but to Iranians themselves – and indeed, to the rest of the world.”
The Coronavirus Exposes the Foolishness of the US Sanctions Policy (23 March)
Annelle Sheline writes in The Nation: “Iran is at the epicenter of the outbreak in the Middle East, and the United States should rescind sanctions and partner with allies to provide its people with immediate humanitarian aid. The severity of the current crisis exposes the way existing American foreign policy too often fails to consider downstream effects. It is time to develop a new mode of doing policy. The coronavirus will run its disastrous course, but problems like climate change are only intensifying. It is vital to the United States’ national interest to adopt policies that work to resolve global crises rather than to exacerbate them.”
Beware of Trump Using the Coronavirus as a Cover for War With Iran (30 March)
Mehdi Hasan writes in The Intercept: “Less than two weeks ago, in a piece about the cruelty and callousness of maintaining sanctions on Iran while a pandemic rages across that country, I described the people in charge of the U.S. government as “sociopaths.” Now we discover, courtesy of an internal memo written by a U.S. general and leaked to the New York Times, that strangling the Iranian economy isn’t enough for Trump and Co. They are bent on using the spread of a deadly disease as cover for a new war. Perhaps “sociopaths” was an understatement.”
Sanctions Are Inhumane—Now, and Always (26 March)
Asli U. Bali and Aziz Rana write in Boston Review: “Sanctions, whatever the conventional presentation, are not a humane alternative to war. In reality they routinely impose indiscriminate harms on civilian populations in ways that far exceed what would be permissible on the battlefield. Moreover, precisely because their costs are never borne domestically within the United States—as opposed to the costs of traditional armed conflict—there is a tremendous temptation for officials to turn to them as a tool of first, rather than last, resort.”
Persian-Language Sources
آژانس میگوید میزان ذخایر اورانیوم غنیشده ایران 'به ۵ برابر توافق برجام رسیده (3 March)
"آژانس بینالمللی انرژی اتمی می گوید ایران همچنان اجرای بندهای کلیدی توافق هستهای با قدرت های جهانی موسوم به برجام را نقض می کند."
'کارآزمایی بالینی روی داروهای کرونا در ایران آغاز شد (4 March) '
"منابع پزشکی ایران از کشف دو داروی ضد کرونا و آغاز آزمایش بالینی آنها خبر دادهاند و در عین حال، یک داروی معرفی شده در شبکههای مجازی را غیرقابل تایید معرفی کردهاند."
کرونا در ایران؛ تناقض آمار وزارت بهداشت و دانشگاههای علوم پزشکی استان (5 March)
"ایرنا، خبرگزاری رسمی دولت ایران شب گذشته (چهارشنبه ۱۴ اسفندماه) آمار تفکیکی شمار جانباختگان ویروس کرونا را منتشر کرد که متفاوت با آمار رسمیای است که وزارت بهداشت ایران منتشر کرده است."
تا کجا مردم ایران خود را مسئول جلوگیری از کرونا میدانند؟ (7 March)
"ایران میگوید ٤٧٤٧ تن در این کشور مبتلا به ویروس کرونا شدهاند و ١٢٤ تن بر اثر آن جان باختهاند. ٩١٣ تن هم بهبود یافتهاند. این آمار احتمال دارد در طول روز شنبه بهروز شود."
روایت یک ایرانی مقیم ایتالیا: شهر ما در قرنطینه کامل است (9 March)
"نخست وزیر ایتالیا میگوید دستکم ۱۶ میلیون نفر در منطقه لومباردی و همچنین در ۱۴ استان در قرنطینه اجباری هستند."
شیوع کرونا؛ گزارشگر حقوق بشر سازمان ملل خواهان آزادی موقت زندانیان سیاسی ایرانی شد (10 March)
"جاوید رحمان، گزارشگر ویژه حقوق بشر سازمان ملل در امور ایران، از این که ایران با وجود شیوع ویروس کرونا به حبس زندانیان سیاسی ادامه می دهد عمیقا ابراز تاسف و نگرانی کرده است."
'ایران قبول کرده جعبههای سیاه هواپیمای ساقط شده اوکراینی را تحویل بدهد(11 March) '
"دی ماه امسال یک هواپیمای مسافربری اوکراین با ۱۷۶ مسافر با دو موشک پدافند هوایی سپاه پاسداران سرنگون شد. ایران به سازمان بینالمللی هوانوردی غیرنظامی (ایکائو) خبر داده که حاضر است جعبه های سیاه هواپیمای ساقط شده اوکراینی را تحویل مقامات اوکراینی بدهد. خبرگزاری رویترز، امروز چهارشنبه ۲۱ اسفند (۱۱ مارس) با انتشار این خبر به نقل از دو منبع آگاه، نوشته مقام های ایرانی اعلام کرده اند تحویل جعبه های سیاه را حدودا تا دو هفته دیگر انجام خواهند داد."
شیوع کرونا؛ ایران از صندوق بینالمللی پول ۵ میلیارد دلار کمک درخواست کرد (12 March)
"در حالی که آمار رسمی موارد ابتلا به ویروس کرونا در ایران بیش از ده هزار و ۷۵ نفر و مرگ ۴۲۹ نفر است، وزیر خارجه و رئیس بانک مرکزی ایران اعلام کردند که از یک هفته پیش از صندوق بینالمللی پول ۵ میلیارد دلار کمک درخواست کردهاند. همچنین ایران در نامهای به سازمان ملل خواهان لغو تحریمهای آمریکا شده است."
معاون وزارت بهداشت ایران به تاخیر در تشخیص ورود کرونا اذعان کرد (13 March)
"یک معاون وزارت بهداشت در ایران اذعان کرده است که مقامهای ایرانی در تشخیص ورود ویروس جدید کرونا به ایران تاخیر داشتهاند و به درخواستها برای توقف پروازها از چین توجه کافی نکردند."
کرونا در ایران؛ "خالی کردن اماکن عمومی" با کمک نیروی نظامی موثر است یا نه؟ (14 March)
"سرلشکر محمدحسین باقری، رئیس ستاد کل نیروهای مسلح ایران، میگوید قرارگاه ویژهای که با دستور آیتالله علی خامنهای، رهبر ایران تشکیل شده، تصمیم گرفته است تا با هماهنگی دولت برای "خلوت کردن" اماکن عمومی اقدام کند.
زلزله ای به بزرگی ۵.۴ هرمزگان را لرزاند (15 March)
"زلزله ای به بزرگی ۵.۴ در مقیاس ریشتر استان هرمزگان را لرزانده است."
رقص در قاب پنجره؛ تهرانیها برای دفع کرونا رقصیدند (16 March)
"شادی دست جمعی شب گذشته تهرانی ها در شهرک اکباتان واقع در غرب تهران خبر ساز شده است. ساکنان این شهرک، با پخش موسیقی از پنجرهها به رقص و پایکوبی پرداختند. همینطور در بخشهایی از این شهرک، ساکنان سرود ای ایران را خواندند."
آمریکا در پی آزادی شهروندان خود در ایران در خلال شیوع کرونا (18 March)
"دولت آمریکا روز سه شنبه تحریم های تازه ای را از جمله بر پنج دانشمند علوم و فناوری هسته ای ایران اعمال کرده و همزمان خواستار آزادی شهروندان خود از زندان های این کشور شده است."
آمریکا اسامی دانشمندان هستهای تحریم شده ایرانی را منتشر کرد (19 March)
"در حالی که مقامهای ایرانی، چینی و نیز برخی از چهرههای دموکرات در آمریکا خواهان تعلیق تحریم های ایران به خاطر شیوع کرونا شدهاند، دولت دونالد ترامپ تحریم های تازهای را بر سر برنامه هسته ای علیه جمهوری اسلامی وضع کرده است."
پیشبینیها درباره وضعیت کرونا در ایران (19 March)
"دانشگاه صنعتی شریف ایران پژوهشی انجام داده که بر پایه آن، اگر مردم برای جلوگیری از شیوع ویروس کرونا همکاری نکنند و کووید-١٩ لگامگسیخته بماند، ممکن است در سراسر ایران ٣.٥ میلیون تن جان خود را از دست بدهند.
آمریکا اسامی دانشمندان هستهای تحریم شده ایرانی را منتشر کرد (19 March)
"در حالی که مقامهای ایرانی، چینی و نیز برخی از چهرههای دموکرات در آمریکا خواهان تعلیق تحریم های ایران به خاطر شیوع کرونا شدهاند، دولت دونالد ترامپ تحریم های تازهای را بر سر برنامه هسته ای علیه جمهوری اسلامی وضع کرده است."
آمریکا پنج شرکت اماراتی را برای خرید نفت ایران تحریم کرد (20 March)
"ایالات متحده آمریکا روز پنجشنبه تحریم هایی را بر پنج شرکت مستقر در امارات متحده عربی که می گوید نفت ایران را برخلاف تحریم های آمریکا حمل کرده اند اعمال کرده است."
آیتالله خامنهای و حسن روحانی 'رونق تولید' در سال ۹۸ را ستودند (20 March)
"آیتالله علی خامنهای، رهبر و حسن روحانی، رئیس جمهور ایران، در پیامهای نوروزیشان گفتهاند بنا به آمارها و گزارشهایشان در سال ۱۳۹۸ خورشیدی تولید اقتصادی "حرکت کرد و راه افتاد" و رشد اقتصادی "مثبت بوده" است."
"حسن روحانی، رئیس جمهور ایران، در جلسه ستاد ملی کرونا گفته گزارش اولیه وزارت بهداشت "بسیار امیدوارکننده" بوده است."
فعالیت پزشکان بدون مرز در ایران 'متوقف' شده است (24 March)
"پزشکان بدون مرز میگویند عملیات کمک به مقابله با کرونای ٢٠١٩ در شهر اصفهان فعلا متوقف شده است. این نهاد به بیبیسی گفت آنها منتظر تایید رسمی هستند که بعد از این چه باید بکنند."
درخواست سازمان ملل برای تسهیل تحریمها از جمله علیه ایران در خلال اپیدمی (25 March)
"میشل باچله کمیسر عالی حقوق بشر سازمان ملل متحد می گوید که با توجه به تاثیر تحریم های گسترده بر بخش بهداشت و حقوق بشر در کشورهایی که با اپیدمی ویروس کرونا روبرو هستند، این تحریم ها باید فورا مورد ارزیابی قرار گیرند."
خانواده رابرت لوینسون: او احتمالا در ایران درگذشته (25 March)
"خانواده رابرت لوینسون، مامور سابق اف بی آی، روز چهارشنبه در بیانیه ای اعلام کرد به این نتیجه رسیده است که او در دوران بازداشت در ایران درگذشته است."