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Iran: Coronavirus Death Toll Surges to 16,100 in 237 Cities

Over 16,100 dead of coronavirus (COVID-19) in Iran-Iran Coronavirus Death Toll per PMOI MEK sources
Over 16,100 dead of coronavirus (COVID-19) in Iran-Iran Coronavirus Death Toll per PMOI MEK sources

The Peoples Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI / MEK) announced on April 2, 2020, that the Coronavirus death toll has risen to more than 16,100 in 237 cities across Iran.

The number of victims in Tehran is 2,080, Mazandaran 1,300, Khuzestan 690, Alborz 655, Ardabil 425, Yazd at least 320, North Khorasan 210, Sistan and Baluchestan 160, Semnan 110, Kohgiluyeh and Boyer-Ahmad 110, Hormozgan 35, and Bushehr 32.

Regime resident Hassan Rouhani’s chain of lies, including yesterday’s claim that the Coronavirus outbreak has started its downward trend in all provinces, was so absurd that he had to retreat today. While insisting that the country’s currency is in good condition and that there won’t be any problems in the current Iranian year, he said, “Coronavirus is not an issue about whose end we can set a date. It may be in the next few months, or even until the end of the year.”

Meanwhile, Saeed Namaki, regime’s Health Minister, speaking at the Coronavirus Combat Headquarters (CCH) in the presence of Rouhani, said, “Figures are on the rise in eight provinces, but stable in the other 23 provinces… This positive curve should not make us arrogant… if we become negligent, we will receive a blow and suddenly face a peak that will trouble us all.”

A group of “former health executives and faculty members of the Medical Schools and Medical system,” wrote to Rouhani that the death toll per capita in Iran is 15 times that of China. “How do you encourage people to stay at home but open the banks and offices? What should the businesses that deal with banks and offices do? What should seasonal and day laborers do? What will happen to the people who are not covered by any insurance or support arrangements? From the officials’ contradictory statements, the public understands that you are not in control of the crisis. The figures on the high-risk patients, the ICU beds, and the loss of the medical staff do not indicate that we are in better condition from last week. Based on CCH’s report, three days ago, yesterday, and today, we had 2,000, 2,500, and 3,000 new patients who tested positive. Does this mean the situation is better?”

Ahmad Tavakoli, a member of the Expediency Council, wrote, “The president (Hassan Rouhani) claimed that the toll was declining in all provinces, but official figures from the Health Ministry, especially in the recent week, show an unprecedented surge. Rouhani’s claims that beds at hospitals and the ICUs were empty are not acceptable to the public.” “Rouhani is still in the election’s mood and is sensitive to his former rivals’ words,” he added.

Meanwhile, the infighting among regime rivals has escalated. “Some think that 1.2 trillion Tomans ($2.85b at official exchange rate) has been delivered and we aren’t sharing it … I swear that up to this point, we have not received a penny,” said Namaki during the CCH’s meeting. In response, Rouhani blamed the regime’s Supreme Leader, saying, “We need the approval of the leader (Ali Khamenei), and hopefully, this will be achieved today.”

At the same meeting, Hossein Ashtari, State  Security Force Commander expressed his fear of the potential social uprisings, saying, “Telling the poorest sectors of society, who are on day-labor, … and need to come out of their homes to earn a living, to stay at home while it has been more or less a month or two that they have had no income, may have consequences, especially if the situation stays like this.”

At the same time, angered by the disclosure of the regime’s criminal cover-up (of the Coronavirus outbreak) and the actual death toll yesterday, Rouhani said, “These perpetual liars still disseminate these lies. They are in a country where they do not have hospital beds for their patients, and they do not dare to go out. They continue to talk and lie again.”

The Security and Counterterrorism Committee of the National Council of Resistance of Iran has obtained new documents from the National Emergency Organization that show contrary to the lies by Khamenei and Rouhani, on January 25, 2020, a patient who had been infected was taken to the emergency room at Khomeini Airport and from there transferred to Yaftabad Hospital. According to another document, dated January 31, 2020, another patient, who was the group leader of Chinese passengers, was taken from Khomeini Airport to the emergency section and then transferred to Yaftehabad hospital.

 Secretariat of the National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI)

April 2, 2020