Iran announces 149 more coronavirus deaths, toll rises to 1,433
The HinduIran has announced 149 more fatalities from the new coronavirus, bringing its death toll to 1,433 amid nearly 20,000 confirmed cases. The country’s leaders struck an upbeat tone earlier Friday, issuing messages in honor of the Persian new year in which they vowed to overcome the pandemic. Iran’s leaders had marked the Persian new year on Friday by vowing to overcome the coronavirus and build up the economy, striking an upbeat tone after authorities’ delayed response to the pandemic contributed to the worst outbreak in the Middle East. Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who has final say on all state matters, called the new year “the year of leaps in production” in Iran’s economy, which has been under heavy U.S. sanctions since President Donald Trump withdrew from the 2015 nuclear accord.