{"id":214476,"date":"2020-03-20T20:21:54","date_gmt":"2020-03-20T20:21:54","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.ncr-iran.org\/en\/?p=214476"},"modified":"2023-01-23T06:07:15","modified_gmt":"2023-01-23T05:07:15","slug":"coronavirus-outbreak-claims-more-lives-in-iran-who-s-to-blame-the-regime-or-the-sanctions","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.ncr-iran.org\/en\/news\/coronavirus-outbreak-claims-more-lives-in-iran-who-s-to-blame-the-regime-or-the-sanctions\/","title":{"rendered":"Coronavirus Outbreak Claims More Lives in Iran: Who\u2019s to Blame, the Regime or the Sanctions?"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"Coronavirus
Iran: COVID19 outbreak crisis<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

As the\u00a0coronavirus pandemic<\/a>\u00a0claims more lives in Iran, there are several questions to answer: Who\u00a0<\/span>must<\/span>\u00a0be blamed for the spread of this deadly disease?\u00a0<\/span>Who\u00a0<\/span>should be\u00a0<\/span>held<\/span>\u00a0to account for the lack of\u00a0<\/span>medications<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>–\u00a0<\/span>the regime or the\u00a0<\/span>International<\/span>\u00a0sanctions? And finally, what is the solution?<\/span><\/p>\n

To answer\u00a0<\/span>the first question, it is important to explain the chain of events in Iran which led to the spread of the coronavirus, which according to the reports published by\u00a0<\/span>the\u00a0People\u2019s Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI, Mujahedin-e Khalq or MEK)<\/a>\u00a0<\/span>has claimed lives of over\u00a0<\/span>6<\/span>,400 as of March 18.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The news of the coronavirus outbreak started circulating on social media\u00a0<\/span>and<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>was\u00a0<\/span>reported by\u00a0MEK\u00a0<\/a><\/span>sources\u00a0<\/span>in\u00a0<\/span>February. Reports from Iran at that time indicated there ha<\/span>d\u00a0<\/span>been\u00a0<\/span>dozens<\/span>\u00a0of deaths because of this deadly virus in the city of Qom. Yet, the Iranian regime\u00a0<\/span>vehemently denied the existence of this\u00a0<\/span>virus, despite knowing the truth. This was for two reasons<\/span>:\u00a0<\/span>F<\/span>irst,\u00a0<\/span>the regime\u2019s\u00a0<\/span>sham parliamentary elections, and\u00a0<\/span>second, the\u00a0<\/span>regime\u2019s\u00a0<\/span>ridiculous parade on the anniversary of the anti-monarchic revol<\/span>ution. The regime needed the maximum public turnout\u00a0<\/span>during the parliamentary elections and\u00a0<\/span>its so-called\u00a0<\/span>\u201c<\/span>anniversary of the\u00a0<\/span>Islamic revolution.<\/span>\u201d<\/span>\u00a0After\u00a0<\/span>its deadly crackdown on the Iran protests in November by killing over 1500 people, shooting down the Ukrainian ai<\/span>rliner and\u00a0<\/span>country\u2019s economic downfall due to\u00a0<\/span>institutionalized corruption, the regime was expecting to have a much lower turnout at the election<\/span>s or even lower public participation at its anniversary parade,\u00a0<\/span>s<\/span>o it had to cover<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>up the spread of the coronavirus to\u00a0<\/span>somehow increase the public presence, however<\/span>,<\/span>\u00a0it failed.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

In a\u00a0<\/span>shameless<\/span>\u00a0admission two days after the election, the regime’s Interior Minister,\u00a0<\/span>Abdolreza<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>Rahmani<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>Fazli<\/span>, said:\u00a0<\/span>\u201c<\/span>Some had recommended delaying the elections, and insisted on delaying elections in Qom. But, as the official in charge of the elections, I refused to approve these recommendations.<\/span>\u201d<\/span>\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

After days of denial<\/span>,<\/span>\u00a0the regime continued its cover-up and inaction and\u00a0<\/span>since then, it has been trying to downplay the dimensions of this novel crisis.\u00a0<\/span>This is while s<\/span>atellite images of mass graveyards in the Iranian city of Qom expose the regime\u2019s criminal cover-up of the coronavirus outbreak in Iran. Earlier reports and footages by the MEK network from Qom had confirmed the existence of these graveyards, particularly the excavation of a new massive graveyard in Qom\u2019s cemetery, dubbed the\u00a0<\/span>\u201c<\/span>Crisis section.<\/span>\u201d<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

In this regard, the regime\u2019s president,\u00a0<\/span>Hassan\u00a0<\/span>Rouhani, who<\/span>\u00a0had previously suggested that the crisis will be over by March 7, 2020, ridiculously claimed that\u00a0<\/span>\u201c<\/span>We have now passed the peak in Qom and\u00a0<\/span>Gilan<\/span>, our two most difficult cities\u2026 In\u00a0<\/span>Gilan<\/span>,<\/span>\u00a020% of hospital beds are empty<\/span>.<\/span>\u201d<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Meanwhile,\u00a0<\/span>Alireza\u00a0<\/span>Zali<\/span>, head of Operations to Counter Coronavirus in Tehran, said:\u00a0<\/span>\u201c<\/span>Officials do not have a correct picture of our hospitals. They would realize the depth of the crisis only if they saw the number of hospitalized patients and those in critical condition.<\/span>\u201d<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Given the facts above<\/span>,<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>clearly<\/span>,<\/span>\u00a0it was the regime itself which expedited the spread of the coronavirus across Iran and turned Iran\u00a0<\/span>in<\/span>to an epicenter of the disease.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The regime\u2019s lobby<\/span>, to whitewash the inaction of the regime in controlling the outbreak of the virus<\/span>,<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>claim<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>sanctions imposed by the US on the regime because of its malign activities have\u00a0<\/span>resulted in the scarcity of the medical equipment, making more people\u00a0<\/span>vulnerable\u00a0<\/span>to COVID-19.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0Yet, this is not the truth.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0A report published by the\u00a0<\/span>\u201c<\/span>Asra<\/span>\u00a0think-tank<\/span>\u201d<\/span>\u00a0which is close to the regime\u2019s supreme\u00a0<\/span>leader Ali Khamenei<\/span>,\u00a0<\/span>i<\/span>n its conclusion, highlight<\/span>ed<\/span>\u00a0the possibility of a nationwide uprising, foretelling that due to the regime\u2019s hoarding which has resulted in the shortage of medication and preventive measures against the coronavirus, people will attack and loot pharmacies and stores. The coronavirus epidemic in Iran, the nationwide shortage of facilities and lack of a centralized crisis management could turn local riots into nationwide uprisings.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201c<\/span>With the spread of the coronavirus to the whole country, the shortage of health and hospital equipment was quite evident, and widespread hoarding was taking place in these areas. This led to market turmoil and increased prices for these commodities. Rising prices and a shortage of goods in the coming months, and with the spread of the virus, could lead to\u00a0<\/span>the\u00a0<\/span>looting of stores an<\/span>d<\/span>\u00a0pharmacies.<\/span>\u201d<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>Reads the \u201cAsra think-tank\u201d report.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Foota<\/span>ges obtained by the\u00a0MEK\u2019s\u00a0<\/a>network show<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>tons of mask<\/span>s<\/span>\u00a0and disinfectants\u00a0<\/span>stockpiled by the Revolutionary Guards (IRGC), ready to be sold at a\u00a0<\/span>much higher price in the black market.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

On the other\u00a0<\/span>hand,<\/span>\u00a0the regime\u2019s institutionalized corruption\u00a0<\/span>and its need to invest and use the national wealth\u00a0<\/span>to fuel its suppression machine\u00a0<\/span>domestically\u00a0<\/span>and funding of terrorism abroad\u00a0<\/span>prevent it from\u00a0<\/span>accepting any<\/span>\u00a0substantial help from a third party<\/span>. In fact, the regime seeks to find a breakthrough from\u00a0<\/span>the international crushing<\/span>\u00a0sanctions<\/span>, under the pretext of needing resources for\u00a0<\/span>and ma<\/span>terials to combat the coronavirus.\u00a0<\/span>In this regard,<\/span>\u00a0in a meeting\u00a0<\/span>on\u00a0<\/span>Sunday<\/span>, March 8, with the Iraqi National Security Advisor\u00a0<\/span>Faleh<\/span>\u00a0Fayyaz, Ali Shamkhani, the\u00a0<\/span>Secretary<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>of\u00a0<\/span>the regime’s\u00a0<\/span>Supreme National Security Council<\/span>,<\/span>\u00a0said<\/span>:<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>\u201c<\/span>The Islamic Republic of Iran is prepared to help Iraq in fighting this disease.<\/span>\u201d<\/span>\u00a0He<\/span>\u00a0also said Iran will donate 2 million face masks to Iran. He<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>said this while young Iranian nurses are dying due to shortages of face masks and essential medical equipment<\/span>.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

In this regard, Rouhani’s remarks are notable. He blatantly said<\/span>:\u00a0<\/span>\u201c<\/span>One should compare Tehran with London, Berlin, and Paris…and see their empty store shelves. People fight each other over napkins, are worried and upset about their food; their hospitals announce that they have no more empty beds, but we delivered.<\/span>\u201d<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

What is the solution?\u00a0<\/span><\/b>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The regime<\/span>, while downplaying the dimension of the coronavirus outbreak, tries\u00a0<\/span>to either blame the international community for the shortage of medi<\/span>cations, to force them to stop sanctions<\/span>, so it could\u00a0<\/span>continue its\u00a0<\/span>rule via terrorism and oppression<\/span>. In a nutshell, instead of helping victims the regim<\/span>e uses their blood to achieve its malign\u00a0<\/span>goals and<\/span>\u00a0plays with the lives of the Iranian people.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0If not, why has<\/span>\u00a0it<\/span>\u00a0increased its military forces in cities and declared unofficial martial law?\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

T<\/span>he regime is the main source of all crises in Iran and the region, and it\u00a0<\/span>must<\/span>\u00a0be toppled.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

As\u00a0<\/span>Mrs.\u00a0Maryam Rajavi<\/a>, the President-elect of the\u00a0National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI)<\/a>,\u00a0<\/span>said:\u00a0<\/span>\u201c<\/span>The medical and sanitary resources must be taken out of the regime\u2019s possession and placed at our people\u2019s disposal.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>IRGC hospitals and medical centers belonging to Khamenei\u2019s representatives have top-quality medical facilities and they must be opened to all the people and all Coronavirus patients.<\/span>\u201d<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201c<\/span>Yes, through rebellion and waging a struggle that is a hundred times greater, the mullahs\u2019 rule, characterized by crimes and cruelty, will be overthrown and the great spring will arrive after this cold and bleak winter<\/span>,<\/span>\u201d<\/span>\u00a0Mrs. Rajavi added.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Mrs. Rajavi\u00a0<\/span>reiterated<\/span>:<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>\u201c<\/span>The international aid should be directly provided to hospitals and the public without the intervention of the mullahs’ predatory regime. The World Health Organization,\u00a0<\/span>therefore, must\u00a0<\/span>in particular help<\/span>\u00a0these disadvantaged people because the regime will do nothing for them<\/span>.\u201d<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

As the coronavirus pandemic claims more lives in Iran, there are several questions to answer: Who must be blamed for the spread of this deadly disease? Who should be held to account for the lack of medications – the regime or […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":8,"featured_media":214482,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[45],"tags":[186],"class_list":{"0":"post-214476","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-news","8":"tag-coronavirus"},"yoast_head":"\nCoronavirus Outbreak Claims More Lives in Iran: Who\u2019s to Blame, the Regime or the Sanctions? - NCRI<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"As the\u00a0coronavirus pandemic\u00a0claims more lives in Iran, there are several questions to answer: Who\u00a0must\u00a0be blamed for the spread of this deadly\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.ncr-iran.org\/en\/news\/coronavirus-outbreak-claims-more-lives-in-iran-who-s-to-blame-the-regime-or-the-sanctions\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Coronavirus Outbreak Claims More Lives in Iran: Who\u2019s to Blame, the Regime or the Sanctions? - NCRI\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"As the\u00a0coronavirus pandemic\u00a0claims more lives in Iran, there are several questions to answer: Who\u00a0must\u00a0be blamed for the spread of this deadly\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.ncr-iran.org\/en\/news\/coronavirus-outbreak-claims-more-lives-in-iran-who-s-to-blame-the-regime-or-the-sanctions\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"NCRI\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2020-03-20T20:21:54+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2023-01-23T05:07:15+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/www.ncr-iran.org\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/Iran-_COVID19_outbreak_crisis.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"800\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"565\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Mahmoud Hakamian\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@iran_policy\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@iran_policy\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Mahmoud Hakamian\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"6 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":[\"Article\",\"BlogPosting\"],\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.ncr-iran.org\\\/en\\\/news\\\/coronavirus-outbreak-claims-more-lives-in-iran-who-s-to-blame-the-regime-or-the-sanctions\\\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.ncr-iran.org\\\/en\\\/news\\\/coronavirus-outbreak-claims-more-lives-in-iran-who-s-to-blame-the-regime-or-the-sanctions\\\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Mahmoud Hakamian\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.ncr-iran.org\\\/en\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/ae412f6365d3323a9490e02514c5702c\"},\"headline\":\"Coronavirus Outbreak Claims More Lives in Iran: Who\u2019s to Blame, the Regime or the Sanctions?\",\"datePublished\":\"2020-03-20T20:21:54+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2023-01-23T05:07:15+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.ncr-iran.org\\\/en\\\/news\\\/coronavirus-outbreak-claims-more-lives-in-iran-who-s-to-blame-the-regime-or-the-sanctions\\\/\"},\"wordCount\":1248,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.ncr-iran.org\\\/en\\\/#organization\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.ncr-iran.org\\\/en\\\/news\\\/coronavirus-outbreak-claims-more-lives-in-iran-who-s-to-blame-the-regime-or-the-sanctions\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.ncr-iran.org\\\/en\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2020\\\/03\\\/Iran-_COVID19_outbreak_crisis.jpg\",\"keywords\":[\"Coronavirus\"],\"articleSection\":[\"Iran News Now\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.ncr-iran.org\\\/en\\\/news\\\/coronavirus-outbreak-claims-more-lives-in-iran-who-s-to-blame-the-regime-or-the-sanctions\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.ncr-iran.org\\\/en\\\/news\\\/coronavirus-outbreak-claims-more-lives-in-iran-who-s-to-blame-the-regime-or-the-sanctions\\\/\",\"name\":\"Coronavirus Outbreak Claims More Lives in Iran: Who\u2019s to Blame, the Regime or the Sanctions? - NCRI\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.ncr-iran.org\\\/en\\\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.ncr-iran.org\\\/en\\\/news\\\/coronavirus-outbreak-claims-more-lives-in-iran-who-s-to-blame-the-regime-or-the-sanctions\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.ncr-iran.org\\\/en\\\/news\\\/coronavirus-outbreak-claims-more-lives-in-iran-who-s-to-blame-the-regime-or-the-sanctions\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.ncr-iran.org\\\/en\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2020\\\/03\\\/Iran-_COVID19_outbreak_crisis.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2020-03-20T20:21:54+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2023-01-23T05:07:15+00:00\",\"description\":\"As the\u00a0coronavirus pandemic\u00a0claims more lives in Iran, there are several questions to answer: Who\u00a0must\u00a0be blamed for the spread of this deadly\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.ncr-iran.org\\\/en\\\/news\\\/coronavirus-outbreak-claims-more-lives-in-iran-who-s-to-blame-the-regime-or-the-sanctions\\\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/www.ncr-iran.org\\\/en\\\/news\\\/coronavirus-outbreak-claims-more-lives-in-iran-who-s-to-blame-the-regime-or-the-sanctions\\\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.ncr-iran.org\\\/en\\\/news\\\/coronavirus-outbreak-claims-more-lives-in-iran-who-s-to-blame-the-regime-or-the-sanctions\\\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.ncr-iran.org\\\/en\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2020\\\/03\\\/Iran-_COVID19_outbreak_crisis.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.ncr-iran.org\\\/en\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2020\\\/03\\\/Iran-_COVID19_outbreak_crisis.jpg\",\"width\":800,\"height\":565,\"caption\":\"Iran: COVID19 outbreak crisis\"},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.ncr-iran.org\\\/en\\\/news\\\/coronavirus-outbreak-claims-more-lives-in-iran-who-s-to-blame-the-regime-or-the-sanctions\\\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.ncr-iran.org\\\/en\\\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Coronavirus Outbreak Claims More Lives in Iran: Who\u2019s to Blame, the Regime or the Sanctions?\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.ncr-iran.org\\\/en\\\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.ncr-iran.org\\\/en\\\/\",\"name\":\"NCRI\",\"description\":\"Official website of the National Council of Resistance of Iran\",\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.ncr-iran.org\\\/en\\\/#organization\"},\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.ncr-iran.org\\\/en\\\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Organization\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.ncr-iran.org\\\/en\\\/#organization\",\"name\":\"Official website of the National Council of Resistance of Iran\",\"alternateName\":\"Official website of the National Council of Resistance of Iran\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.ncr-iran.org\\\/en\\\/\",\"logo\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.ncr-iran.org\\\/en\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/logo\\\/image\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.ncr-iran.org\\\/en\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2020\\\/01\\\/ncri-logo.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.ncr-iran.org\\\/en\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2020\\\/01\\\/ncri-logo.jpg\",\"width\":402,\"height\":100,\"caption\":\"Official website of the National Council of Resistance of Iran\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.ncr-iran.org\\\/en\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/logo\\\/image\\\/\"},\"sameAs\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/x.com\\\/iran_policy\"]},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.ncr-iran.org\\\/en\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/ae412f6365d3323a9490e02514c5702c\",\"name\":\"Mahmoud Hakamian\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/6df5c2ec988a08ae1fc6abf31d9bab6e475e07778f2e8599abe18ea7614153c6?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/6df5c2ec988a08ae1fc6abf31d9bab6e475e07778f2e8599abe18ea7614153c6?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/6df5c2ec988a08ae1fc6abf31d9bab6e475e07778f2e8599abe18ea7614153c6?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"Mahmoud Hakamian\"},\"description\":\"Mahmoud Hakamian is a speech writer and political analyst. He has been a member of the Foreign Affairs Committee of the NCRI and an editor for NCR-Iran.org since 2006.\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.ncr-iran.org\\\/en\\\/author\\\/mahmoudhakamian\\\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Coronavirus Outbreak Claims More Lives in Iran: Who\u2019s to Blame, the Regime or the Sanctions? - NCRI","description":"As the\u00a0coronavirus pandemic\u00a0claims more lives in Iran, there are several questions to answer: Who\u00a0must\u00a0be blamed for the spread of this deadly","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/www.ncr-iran.org\/en\/news\/coronavirus-outbreak-claims-more-lives-in-iran-who-s-to-blame-the-regime-or-the-sanctions\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Coronavirus Outbreak Claims More Lives in Iran: Who\u2019s to Blame, the Regime or the Sanctions? - NCRI","og_description":"As the\u00a0coronavirus pandemic\u00a0claims more lives in Iran, there are several questions to answer: Who\u00a0must\u00a0be blamed for the spread of this deadly","og_url":"https:\/\/www.ncr-iran.org\/en\/news\/coronavirus-outbreak-claims-more-lives-in-iran-who-s-to-blame-the-regime-or-the-sanctions\/","og_site_name":"NCRI","article_published_time":"2020-03-20T20:21:54+00:00","article_modified_time":"2023-01-23T05:07:15+00:00","og_image":[{"width":800,"height":565,"url":"https:\/\/www.ncr-iran.org\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/Iran-_COVID19_outbreak_crisis.jpg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"author":"Mahmoud Hakamian","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_creator":"@iran_policy","twitter_site":"@iran_policy","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Mahmoud Hakamian","Est. reading time":"6 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":["Article","BlogPosting"],"@id":"https:\/\/www.ncr-iran.org\/en\/news\/coronavirus-outbreak-claims-more-lives-in-iran-who-s-to-blame-the-regime-or-the-sanctions\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.ncr-iran.org\/en\/news\/coronavirus-outbreak-claims-more-lives-in-iran-who-s-to-blame-the-regime-or-the-sanctions\/"},"author":{"name":"Mahmoud Hakamian","@id":"https:\/\/www.ncr-iran.org\/en\/#\/schema\/person\/ae412f6365d3323a9490e02514c5702c"},"headline":"Coronavirus Outbreak Claims More Lives in Iran: Who\u2019s to Blame, the Regime or the Sanctions?","datePublished":"2020-03-20T20:21:54+00:00","dateModified":"2023-01-23T05:07:15+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.ncr-iran.org\/en\/news\/coronavirus-outbreak-claims-more-lives-in-iran-who-s-to-blame-the-regime-or-the-sanctions\/"},"wordCount":1248,"publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.ncr-iran.org\/en\/#organization"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.ncr-iran.org\/en\/news\/coronavirus-outbreak-claims-more-lives-in-iran-who-s-to-blame-the-regime-or-the-sanctions\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/www.ncr-iran.org\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/Iran-_COVID19_outbreak_crisis.jpg","keywords":["Coronavirus"],"articleSection":["Iran News Now"],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/www.ncr-iran.org\/en\/news\/coronavirus-outbreak-claims-more-lives-in-iran-who-s-to-blame-the-regime-or-the-sanctions\/","url":"https:\/\/www.ncr-iran.org\/en\/news\/coronavirus-outbreak-claims-more-lives-in-iran-who-s-to-blame-the-regime-or-the-sanctions\/","name":"Coronavirus Outbreak Claims More Lives in Iran: Who\u2019s to Blame, the Regime or the Sanctions? - NCRI","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.ncr-iran.org\/en\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.ncr-iran.org\/en\/news\/coronavirus-outbreak-claims-more-lives-in-iran-who-s-to-blame-the-regime-or-the-sanctions\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.ncr-iran.org\/en\/news\/coronavirus-outbreak-claims-more-lives-in-iran-who-s-to-blame-the-regime-or-the-sanctions\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/www.ncr-iran.org\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/Iran-_COVID19_outbreak_crisis.jpg","datePublished":"2020-03-20T20:21:54+00:00","dateModified":"2023-01-23T05:07:15+00:00","description":"As the\u00a0coronavirus pandemic\u00a0claims more lives in Iran, there are several questions to answer: Who\u00a0must\u00a0be blamed for the spread of this deadly","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.ncr-iran.org\/en\/news\/coronavirus-outbreak-claims-more-lives-in-iran-who-s-to-blame-the-regime-or-the-sanctions\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/www.ncr-iran.org\/en\/news\/coronavirus-outbreak-claims-more-lives-in-iran-who-s-to-blame-the-regime-or-the-sanctions\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.ncr-iran.org\/en\/news\/coronavirus-outbreak-claims-more-lives-in-iran-who-s-to-blame-the-regime-or-the-sanctions\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/www.ncr-iran.org\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/Iran-_COVID19_outbreak_crisis.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/www.ncr-iran.org\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/Iran-_COVID19_outbreak_crisis.jpg","width":800,"height":565,"caption":"Iran: COVID19 outbreak crisis"},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/www.ncr-iran.org\/en\/news\/coronavirus-outbreak-claims-more-lives-in-iran-who-s-to-blame-the-regime-or-the-sanctions\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/www.ncr-iran.org\/en\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Coronavirus Outbreak Claims More Lives in Iran: Who\u2019s to Blame, the Regime or the Sanctions?"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/www.ncr-iran.org\/en\/#website","url":"https:\/\/www.ncr-iran.org\/en\/","name":"NCRI","description":"Official website of the National Council of Resistance of Iran","publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.ncr-iran.org\/en\/#organization"},"potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/www.ncr-iran.org\/en\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/www.ncr-iran.org\/en\/#organization","name":"Official website of the National Council of Resistance of Iran","alternateName":"Official website of the National Council of Resistance of Iran","url":"https:\/\/www.ncr-iran.org\/en\/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.ncr-iran.org\/en\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/www.ncr-iran.org\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/01\/ncri-logo.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/www.ncr-iran.org\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/01\/ncri-logo.jpg","width":402,"height":100,"caption":"Official website of the National Council of Resistance of Iran"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.ncr-iran.org\/en\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/"},"sameAs":["https:\/\/x.com\/iran_policy"]},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/www.ncr-iran.org\/en\/#\/schema\/person\/ae412f6365d3323a9490e02514c5702c","name":"Mahmoud Hakamian","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/6df5c2ec988a08ae1fc6abf31d9bab6e475e07778f2e8599abe18ea7614153c6?s=96&d=mm&r=g","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/6df5c2ec988a08ae1fc6abf31d9bab6e475e07778f2e8599abe18ea7614153c6?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/6df5c2ec988a08ae1fc6abf31d9bab6e475e07778f2e8599abe18ea7614153c6?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"Mahmoud Hakamian"},"description":"Mahmoud Hakamian is a speech writer and political analyst. He has been a member of the Foreign Affairs Committee of the NCRI and an editor for NCR-Iran.org since 2006.","url":"https:\/\/www.ncr-iran.org\/en\/author\/mahmoudhakamian\/"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ncr-iran.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/214476","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ncr-iran.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ncr-iran.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ncr-iran.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/8"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ncr-iran.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=214476"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.ncr-iran.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/214476\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ncr-iran.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/214482"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ncr-iran.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=214476"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ncr-iran.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=214476"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ncr-iran.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=214476"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}