• Privacy policy
  • T&C’s
  • About Us
    • FAQ
    • Meet the Team
  • Contact us
  • Guest Content
TLE ONLINE SHOP!
  • TLE
  • News
  • Politics
  • Business
  • Sport
  • Opinion
  • Elevenses
  • Entertainment
    • All Entertainment
    • Film
    • Lifestyle
      • Horoscopes
    • Lottery Results
      • Lotto
      • Thunderball
      • Set For Life
      • EuroMillions
  • Food
    • All Food
    • Recipes
  • Property
  • Travel
  • Tech/Auto
  • JOBS
No Result
View All Result
The London Economic
SUPPORT THE LONDON ECONOMIC
NEWSLETTER
  • TLE
  • News
  • Politics
  • Business
  • Sport
  • Opinion
  • Elevenses
  • Entertainment
    • All Entertainment
    • Film
    • Lifestyle
      • Horoscopes
    • Lottery Results
      • Lotto
      • Thunderball
      • Set For Life
      • EuroMillions
  • Food
    • All Food
    • Recipes
  • Property
  • Travel
  • Tech/Auto
  • JOBS
No Result
View All Result
The London Economic
No Result
View All Result
Home News World News

Iran leader refuses US coronavirus help, citing conspiracy theory

Ayatollah Khamenei’s comments come as Iran faces US sanctions blocking it from selling its crude oil and accessing international financial markets.

Joe Mellor by Joe Mellor
2020-03-22 11:07
in World News
In this photo released on Friday, March 20, 2020 by the official website of the office of the Iranian supreme leader, Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei poses for a portrait prior to delivering his message for the Iranian New Year, or Nowruz, in Tehran, Iran. Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and President Hassan Rouhani in separate new year messages vowed to overcome the new coronavirus and increase economic growth. (Office of the Iranian Supreme Leader via AP)

In this photo released on Friday, March 20, 2020 by the official website of the office of the Iranian supreme leader, Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei poses for a portrait prior to delivering his message for the Iranian New Year, or Nowruz, in Tehran, Iran. Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and President Hassan Rouhani in separate new year messages vowed to overcome the new coronavirus and increase economic growth. (Office of the Iranian Supreme Leader via AP)

FacebookTwitterLinkedinEmailWhatsapp

Iran’s supreme leader has refused US assistance to fight the new coronavirus, citing an unfounded conspiracy theory that the virus could be man-made by America.

Ayatollah Ali Khamenei’s comments come as Iran faces crushing US sanctions blocking the country from selling its crude oil and accessing international financial markets.

The US govt has declared a few times that they are ready to help #Iran with medicines to fight the #CoronaOutbreak. That's strange. Firstly, based on the words of your own officials, you face shortages in the US. So use what you have for your own patients./1

— Khamenei.ir (@khamenei_ir) March 22, 2020

But while Iranian civilian officials in recent days have increasingly criticised those sanctions, the 80-year-old Ayatollah instead chose to traffic the same conspiracy theory increasingly used by Chinese officials about the new virus to deflect blame for the pandemic.

“Possibly your (offered) medicine is a way to spread the virus more,” he said. “Or if you send therapists and doctors, maybe he wants to see the effect of the poison, since it is said that part of the virus is built for Iran.”

There is no scientific proof offered anywhere in the world to support Ayatollah Khamenei’s comments.

However, they come after Chinese government spokesman Lijian Zhao tweeted earlier this month that it “might be US army who brought the epidemic to Wuhan. Be transparent! Make public your data! US owe(s) us an explanation!” He offered no evidence to support his claim.

Wuhan is the Chinese city where the first cases of the disease were detected in December.

In recent days, the Trump administration has increasingly referred to the virus as the “Chinese” or “Wuhan” virus, while the World Health Organisation used the term Covid-19 to describe the illness the virus causes.

2nd, you're accused of having created #Coronavirus. I don't know how true it is. But when there's such an allegation, can a wise man trust you? You could be giving medicines that spread the virus or cause it to remain. Experience shows you can’t be trusted & you do such things./2

— Khamenei.ir (@khamenei_ir) March 22, 2020

For most people, the new coronavirus causes only mild or moderate symptoms, such as fever and cough. For some, especially older adults and people with existing health problems, it can cause more severe illness, including pneumonia. The vast majority of people recover.

RelatedPosts

WATCH: President Joe Biden caught on mic saying ‘no one f**ks with a Biden’

Watch: Russia strikes nuclear plant in Ukraine

‘Momentous day for Ukraine’: Major counter-offensive as war marks 200 days

Ukrainian nuclear plant ‘operating in emergency mode’ as war persists

Ayatollah Khamenei made the comments in a speech in Tehran broadcast live on Sunday across Iran to mark Nowruz, the Persian New Year. He had called off his usual speech at Imam Reza shrine in Mashhad over the virus outbreak.

His comments came as Iran said the new coronavirus has killed another 129 people, raising the death toll to 1,685 amid 21,638 confirmed cases.

Iran is one of the countries hardest hit by the new virus. Across the Middle East, Iran represents eight out of 10 cases of the virus and those leaving the Islamic Republic have carried the virus to other countries.

Subscribe to our Newsletter

View our  Privacy Policy and Terms & Conditions

Trending on TLE

  • All
  • trending
Abdollah

‘Rescue us’: Afghan teacher begs UK to help him escape Taliban

CHOMSKY: “If Corbyn had been elected, Britain would be pursuing a much more sane course”

What If We Got Rid Of Prisons?

More from TLE

A reply

100 year old great gran says packet of PORK SCRATCHINGS the key to a long life

Poll boost for Tories despite stench of sewagegate & tax burden at highest level since 50s

Terminally ill man forced to reapply for welfare, despite having six months left to live

How to Make: Marcella’s Beef Shin Ragù

EuroMillions Results for Tuesday 26 July 2022 Tonight’s winning numbers

Liverpool – Retrial of Hillsborough match commander begins

Portuguese socialist party polls at 44% after bringing the economy back from the dead

Greece builds 40km fence keep out asylum seekers fleeing the Taliban

BBC royal correspondent sparks outrage after he maps out Prince Andrew’s route back to public life

JOBS

FIND MORE JOBS

About Us

TheLondonEconomic.com – Open, accessible and accountable news, sport, culture and lifestyle.

Read more

Contact

Editorial enquiries, please contact: [email protected]

Commercial enquiries, please contact: [email protected]

Address

The London Economic Newspaper Limited t/a TLE
Company number 09221879
International House,
24 Holborn Viaduct,
London EC1A 2BN,
United Kingdom

SUPPORT

We do not charge or put articles behind a paywall. If you can, please show your appreciation for our free content by donating whatever you think is fair to help keep TLE growing and support real, independent, investigative journalism.

DONATE & SUPPORT

© 2019 thelondoneconomic.com - TLE, International House, 24 Holborn Viaduct, London EC1A 2BN. All Rights Reserved.




No Result
View All Result
  • Home
  • News
  • Politics
  • Business
  • Sport
  • Entertainment
  • Lifestyle
  • Food
  • Travel
  • JOBS
  • More…
    • Elevenses
    • Opinion
    • Property
    • Tech & Auto
  • About Us
    • Meet the Team
    • Privacy policy
  • Contact us

© 2019 thelondoneconomic.com - TLE, International House, 24 Holborn Viaduct, London EC1A 2BN. All Rights Reserved.