“Iran now has the highest coronavirus death toll outside of China, threatening the wider Middle East,” Natasha Turak, CNBC, February 25, 2020.
Shirin Ebadi, winner of the Nobel Peace Prize, apologizes for her and her generation’s acceptation of the Revolution. Of course, the Revolution was not what it advertised, and has turned out to be much worse than the Shah’s reign. “I thought the Iranian Revolution would bring freedom. I was wrong,” Shirin Ebadi, op-ed, Washington Post, February 25, 2020.
And include Georgia and Azerbaijan to Turkey, Pakistan, Afghanistan, Iraq, and Armenia, Kuwait, and significantly UAE. All shutting access to Iran via land and air because of coronavirus, but also because of Iran’s lack of transparency. See “Several countries shut Iran border, halt flights due to COVID-19,” CAN, February 23, 2020. See also “Turkish Airlines cancels flights to four Iranian cities,” Reuters, February 24, 2020.
It’s the fault of the U.S., and Israel, and Saudi Arabia, and you name the country, but not the Regime and its policies and actions. “Iran Announces Low Poll Turnout, Blames Coronavirus ‘Propaganda’,” Reuters and Algemeiner, February 24, 2020.
Perhaps not since the Iraqi Information Minister in 2003 has a public sector employee so embarrassed themselves—one day he coughs and sweats in a press conference, declaring the virus is not a problem, the next day he is diagnosed with it. “Iran official running anti-coronavirus task force has virus,” Jon Gambrell, AP, February 25, 2020.
The only good thing about the virus is that it distracts the public from the bad news of the Parliament election. So here’s the news beyond the election news—“Iran’s leadership has responded by either ignoring the crisis or denying that it exists.” Some news stories are reporting that Qom has 50 dead already. See “Iran Prepares to Suffer the Wrath of the Coronavirus,” Seth Frantzman, Jerusalem Post, February 24, 2020.
“Cleric Blames Trump For Coronavirus Outbreak In Religious City,” Radio Farda, February 22, 2020.
“Iran’s Revolutionary Guard wrestles with new reality after death of chief military strategist,” Erin Cunningham and Steve Hendrix, Stars and Stripes, Washington Post, February 22, 2020.
“Why Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Is So Dangerous,” Mark Episkopos, National Interest, February 22, 2020.
“Iran’s government and media lied about coronavirus outbreak, riots erupt,” Seth Frantzman, Jerusalem Post, February 23, 2020.