Iran’s president Hassan Rouhani once again lied about the government’s coronavirus clearance a year ago, claiming that the people were informed on the day the government found out about the virus’ existence in Iran:
“It has been a year since the coronavirus entered our country. It was February 19, last year, on Wednesday morning, we found out that the virus had entered the country. Maybe it had just arrived a few days before. However, that day the diagnostic test told us that the coronavirus had arrived.
“Now, as a rule, it may have arrived five days earlier or a week earlier. From the first day we found out that the virus entered this country, we in the cabinet decided to inform the people that the virus had entered, and people were infected. Of course, some people also doubted at that time that the elections are near, should we say that, or not?” (State TV News Channel, February 20)
Rouhani complaining about the revelations by the opposition National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI), which from the beginning exposed his hand and that of Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei for not informing the people and throwing them in the coronavirus hell, said:
“In this regard, the counter-revolutionaries outside the country claimed that the government did not tell the truth to the people and delayed in announcing it because of the elections. This is a pure slander, and a 100 percent lie. We announced to the people from the moment we found out.”
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Rouhani’s comments were deceitful, and the coronavirus had entered the country a long time ago, and the mullahs hid the issue in the interests of the government, such as the anniversary of Iran’s revolution in 1979 and the election, according to the opposition.
Documents obtained from the government’s emergency organization show that at least since February 5, 2020, suspected cases of coronavirus infections have been transferred to the country’s hospitals.
“Emergency Organization of the country, mission date February 3, 2020, ambulance code 5153, name and surname of patient Amir Sohrabinejad, pseudo-coronavirus, was transferred to emergency department from Wardavard area of Ghasem Ali Yousefi alley and after initial measures, he was hospitalized in Khomeini hospital. A 30-year-old man was transferred with fever and chills and possibly the coronavirus with protective measures.”
In addition to the documents of the emergency organization, various officials, also the members of the scientific committee of the government’s coronavirus taskforce have repeatedly stated that the arrival of coronavirus in Iran was kept secret.
Minister of Health of Rouhani’s government also said on February 17, 2021 said that they have been involved with the coronavirus for 13 months and indirectly admitted that coronavirus has been discovered in Iran since early February 2020: “Fortunately, in the 13 months that we have been involved in the management of COVID-19, we have had very good relations with the World Health Organization.” (State TV News Channel, February 17)
Mustafa Moin, the former Minister of Science, said in a video interview with IRNA on August 12, 2020, explaining the reason for the concealment of the Coronavirus tragedy by the ruling leaders:
“The considerations they had were political considerations. In terms of the anniversary of the revolution and the parliamentary elections. Now you will call it secrecy, or say they delayed the announcement or hiding it and whatever else to say.” (IRNA, August 12, 2020)
Mohammad Reza Mahboubfar, a government expert and former member of the coronavirus taskforce, also told Jahan-e-Sanat daily about the secrecy of the disease and the reduction of the number of patients and deaths:
“Exactly one month before the official announcement of the advent of coronavirus in the country, in early December (2019), the first patient with coronavirus was observed. But at that time, the government hid for political and security reasons, and after the 1979 revolution anniversary ceremony and the parliamentary elections, the government finally decided to announce the existence of the coronavirus in the country. In my opinion, the statistics announced by the Ministry of Health (number of patients and deaths) is one twentieth of real statistics. (Jahan-e-Sanat, August 8, 2020)
Rouhani’s claim that religious ceremonies were performed while the health of the people was not overshadowed is a lie, and the reopening has already led to a dramatic increase in deaths and the spread of the coronavirus.
Dr. Malekzadeh, then Deputy Minister of Research and Technology department of the ministry of health, said on August 17: “Conducting research, and the reopening of schools and universities must be stopped.”
Ali Maher, Deputy Planning and Supervision Officer of the Government Headquarters for Combating the coronavirus, told ISNA news agency on August 18:
“We do not consider face-to-face education in the fall semester to be appropriate in any way with the existing conditions and facilities.”
But Rouhani, on March 21, 2020, in the need to continue work and production and reopening jobs and in opposition to quarantine said: “From the first day, I said that the counter-revolutionary conspiracy was to shut down economic activity in Iran, which was also presented by the Ministry of Intelligence. Therefore, we must not allow that their goal to be achieved. We all have to work.” (State TV News Channel, March 21, 2020)
The truth is that this was the policy that they carried out from the first day when the coronavirus entered the Qom city and some of the people became infected and led the people to the coronavirus death, and now they insist on this inhuman policy.
