141 deaths on Monday, so my theory held, that despite what the Health Ministry announces every day and today (Tuesday) in particular would have to jump.\u00a0 See \u201cIran’s death toll from coronavirus climbs to 2,898: health official,\u201d Reuters, March 31, 2020.\u00a0 The downward number of death reports officially reported from each of the past several days did not seem to reflect reality.\u00a0 Radio Farda, as mentioned\u00a0 on this blog, counts the numbers from outlying cities in Iran, and finds that the number of deaths is about double what the central Health Ministry reports.\u00a0 Will Iran adopt a quarantine for cities, or the country?\u00a0 So far the IRI has only banned inter-city travel, but many Iranians defied calls to cancel travel for the Persian New Year Nowruz holidays around March 20.\u00a0 It appears the government is fearful of the people\u2019s response if the country or its major cities go into lockdown, and it appears that religious clerics still control the government\u2019s confidence that their particular religious beliefs will save the country.<\/p>\n
\u201cIran Journalists Protest Coronavirus Taskforce Ban On Print Media,\u201d<\/a> Radio Farda, March 31, 2020.<\/p>\n Another embellishment, another untruth (based on so many past such claims).\u00a0 \u201cIran is set to declare an “achievement” in fighting the novel coronavirus that will place it \u201cat the top of the world rankings\u201d, the Islamic Republic Minister of Health claimed on Monday, March 30.\u00a0 Without any elaboration, Saeed Namaki reiterated that Iran had reached a “bright point” in containing the deadly virus and it will soon become the world’s leading country in combatting Covid-19.\u201d\u00a0 See \u201cMinister Claims Iran Will Soon Reach An ‘Achievement’ In Fight Against Coronavirus,\u201d<\/a> Radio Farda, March 31, 2020.<\/p>\n Amid calls from some for relief from U.S. sanctions, \u201cIn a tweet on Monday, the U.S. Department of State spokesperson replied to Iranian authorities’ allegations that the United States has waged a war of “medical terrorism” against Iran and said the regime could access the billions in Khamenei’s “tax-free hedge fund” to fight the coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2) pandemic.\u201d\u00a0 See \u201cUS Tells Khamenei To Use ‘Billions In Hedge Fund’ To Combat Coronavirus,\u201d<\/a> Radio Farda, March 31, 2020.<\/p>\n \u201cU.S. Prepared to Retaliate Against Iranian Terror Attacks in Iraq,\u201d<\/a> Adam Kredo, Washington Free Beacon, March 31, 2020.<\/p>\n \u201cEurope\u2019s trade system with Iran finally makes first deal,\u201d<\/a> AP, March 31, 2020.<\/p>\n Again, Iran refuses to turn over the black boxes for the Ukraine Airlines shot-down passenger jet.\u00a0 Even after agreeing to release them.\u00a0 The Minister of Roads and Transport, Mohammad Eslami, said Sunday that the coronavirus outbreak in Iran had stopped the procedure of decoding the black boxes, and “We will resume reading the black boxes after the outbreak of the coronavirus and its related disease, Covid-19, is contained.”\u00a0 But on March 11, the IRI representative to the International Civil Aviation Organization, Farhad Paravaresh, had promised to hand over the black boxes to Kyiv within less than two weeks.\u00a0 \u201cUkraine Expects Iran To Hand Over Black Boxes Of Downed Airliner Despite Pandemic,\u201d<\/a> Radio Farda, March 31, 2020.<\/p>\n