Iran's top diplomat in quarantine, tests positive for COVID

Associated Press
Updated ·1 min read

TEHRAN, Iran (AP) — Iran's foreign minister is at home in quarantine after testing positive for the coronavirus, the country's state TV reported on Monday.

According to the official IRNA news agency, Foreign Minister Hossein Amirabdollahian's general condition was described as good. The report quoted Foreign Ministry spokesman Saeed Khatibzadeh as saying the country's top diplomat is able to perform his work-related duties remotely.

IRNA did not confirm that Abdollahian has COVID-19 as the state TV later did. Many Iranian officials have had the illness caused by the coronavirus.

With nearly 6 million positive cases, Iran has been hit the worst by the pandemic in the Middle East. The country of 84 million people has reported more than 125,000 deaths.

Iranian officials have warned that with less than 45% of the nation fully vaccinated, more surges of the virus are expected. The latest surge came in August, fueled by the contagious delta variant.

Less than half the population in Iran follows measures such as wearing face masks and social distancing.