Leaders take upbeat tone even as COVID-19 deaths climb

TEHRAN, Iran (AP):

Iran’s leaders vowed to overcome the coronavirus outbreak in upbeat messages marking the Persian new year on Friday, even as the Health Ministry announced 149 more fatalities, bringing the country’s death toll to 1,433.

Iran is battling the worst outbreak in the Middle East, with nearly 20,000 confirmed cases, and has been widely criticised for its slow response.

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 strain since US President Donald Trump withdrew from the 2015 nuclear accord and imposed. harsh new sanctions.

President Hassan Rouhani also marked the new year, known as Nowruz, by promising a better economy. “We will put the coronavirus behind us soon, with unity, with hard work and with cooperation,” he said.