Coronavirus: Adviser to Iran's Supreme Leader dies after contracting disease as outbreak spreads
An adviser to Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has died after contracting the novel coronavirus, state radio said.
Mohammad Mirmohammadi, 71, was a member of the Expediency Council that advises Khamenei. He is the latest in a string of Iranian officials to have died after contracting the virus.
The virus started spreading through Iran last week, and by Monday (local time), 66 people were dead and 1,501 cases were confirmed, deputy health minister Alireza Raisi said on state TV. Raisi added that 291 people had recovered.
READ MORE: How to prepare for a coronavirus pandemic
A file photo of Iran's supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. State media is reporting the death of one of his top advisers after contracting the coronavirus. AP
Iran has the most coronavirus cases in the Middle East, the most deaths outside of China - where the virus originated - and is in an ongoing state of economic crisis.
US sanctions on the country have seen its currency tank and unemployment grow.
Iran's parliament has been suspended until further notice amid the outbreak, and universities and schools nationwide have been closed, according to state media.
Coronavirus has claimed the lives of 66 people in Iran as the country struggles to contain the outbreak. AP
All public gatherings, including Friday prayers, have been cancelled to help curb the spread of the disease, the IRNA state news agency reported.
Share a tip-off, video or photo with us
