“One Iran Minister Accuses Another Of Deceit For Claiming It can Produce Millions Of Masks,” Radio Farda, March 3, 2020.
“Sweden halts flights from Iran over coronavirus fears,” The Local, March 2, 2020. Sweden has become the first country in the world to ban flights operated by Iran Air to help contain the coronavirus. The Swedish Transport Agency announced it was temporarily suspending the flight permits of Iran Air – currently the only airline flying directly between Iran and Sweden – saying they were responding to a request by Swedish health officials. “We trust in the competence and expertise of the Public Health Agency of Sweden,” Simon Posluk, head of the department for maritime and air traffic at the transport agency, said in a statement. … Sweden has 14 confirmed cases of the virus, including two who had travelled to Iran. Around 1,000 people have been tested for the virus in Sweden, but all the others have come back negative. The Middle Eastern country has reported 1,501 cases, including 66 deaths in total. “To continue to take in large groups of passengers from Iran under present circumstances would severely complicate the work to limit the spread of COVID-19,” Johan Carlson, director of the Public Health Agency of Sweden, said in a statement. It added that “responsible authorities in Iran are not in control of the situation” and it feared the spread of the virus in Sweden. Speaking to AFP, Carlson said the agency was not planning any similar measures for other airlines flying to other heavily affected countries. The agency did not ask for any bans of flights to and from China, which Carlson said was because they had better working relationships with Chinese authorities and airlines. “This is a very exceptional situation and it goes back to that we are not really confident in what’s happening in Iran today,” Carlson said.
“Iran finds millions of hoarded gloves as coronavirus deaths hit 66,” Babak Dehghanpisheh, Reuters, March 2, 2020.
“Coronavirus reopens religion versus science debate in Iran,” AFP, Livemint, March 2, 2020.
“Iran Crosses a Key Threshold: It Again Has Sufficient Fuel for a Bomb,” David Sanger and William Broad, New York Times, March 3, 2020.
“Coronavirus kills 77, infects 2,336 in Iran – deputy health minister,” Reuters, March 3, 2020.
“Why Iran Is Such a Coronavirus Threat,” Amir Afkhami, Politico, March 3, 2020.
“These 3 Magic Numbers Could Stop Chinese, Iranian And Russian Cyber Attacks,” Davey Winder, Forbes, March 3, 2020. The publication of the annual CrowdStrike Global Threat Report shows its report (with “high confidence”) that Iran will continue using cyber-espionage against the Middle East and North Africa region and North America. The Iranian Fox-Kitten espionage campaign against the U.S. and Israel, ongoing for the last three years, is a good example. The targeting of persons critical to the regime will continue and extends to social media disinformation campaigns.
In Tehran? Why not Qom? It just doesn’t make sense to invite Putin and Erdogan to Tehran, especially since both have cut off air and ground travel to Iran due to Iran’s poor response to coronavirus. “Rouhani has invited Putin to hold next Astana talk’s summit in Tehran: diplomat,” Tehran Times, March 3, 2020.
Latest example of Iran using Kataeb Hezbollah in Iraq. “Pro-Iran militia in Iraq warns of ‘war’ if president appoints intelligence chief as PM,” Alex MacDonald, Middle East Eye, March 3, 2020.
“U.N. watchdog claims Iran may have three undeclared nuclear sites,” MarketWatch, AP, March 3, 2020.
I’m not interested in whether the Supreme Leader wears gloves to protect against coronavirus, as this picture shows. Instead, I’m interested in why would he plant a new tree so close to a large established tree? The placement seems odd. “Iran Orders Troops to Fight Coronavirus Outbreak as 77 Dead,” VOA, AP, March 3, 2020.
“Wash your hands, Iran’s Khamenei says, as coronavirus toll rises,” Reuters, March 3, 2020.
“‘We’re beyond desperate’: Officials fear the spread of coronavirus to Americans and Europeans held in Iran’s cramped prisons,” John Hudson, Washington Post, March 3, 2020.