Another senior Iranian official dies of Covid-19
Middle Eastern media reported that former Iranian Ambassador to Syria Hossein Sheikholeslam has just died of Covid-19 as the epidemic caused by the new strain of SARS-CoV-2 virus continues to spread rapidly and strongly in the country.
According to Tasnim news agency, Mr. Sheikholeslam, 67 years old, who served as an advisor to Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif and is currently the Vice President of Iran's International Council of Islamic Religions, died at Masih Daneshvari Hospital in the capital Tehran on March 5 after being hospitalized for several days for testing positive for the new strain of SARS-CoV-2 virus.
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| Mr. Hossein Sheikholeslam when he was alive. Photo: Twitter |
Sheikholeslam is the latest high-ranking official to die from the Covid-19 pandemic in Iran. Before Sheikholeslam, the SARS-CoV-2 virus also claimed the lives of prominent cleric and former Iranian ambassador to the Vatican Hadi Khosrowshahi on February 27 and Mohammad Mirmohammad, a member of the advisory council to Iran's Supreme Leader Khamenei on March 2.
The news of Sheikholeslam’s death comes as the Covid-19 pandemic rages in the Islamic country. As of the morning of March 6, Iran had 3,513 cases of the new coronavirus and 108 deaths.
According to CNN, up to 8% of Iranian lawmakers have been infected with Covid-19, including the Deputy Minister of Health, Vice President for Women and Family Affairs as well as the head of the National Assembly's Security and Foreign Affairs Committee. The country's legislature has suspended its activities indefinitely to prevent the spread of the virus.
