Pompeo urges Iran to ‘tell the truth’ about case numbers

US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo accused Iran of concealing its number of coronavirus cases and urged it to come clean in addressing the challenge.

“The United States is deeply concerned by information indicating that the Iranian regime may have suppressed vital details about the outbreak in that country,” Mr Pompeo said on Tuesday.

“All nations, including Iran, should tell the truth about the coronavirus and co-operate with international aid organisations.

“As of yesterday afternoon, Iran was second only to China in coronavirus deaths.”

Iran’s deputy health minister Iraj Harirchi and Iranian MP Mahmoud Sadeghi tested positive for the virus on Tuesday.

Although the Iranian government has reported 139 cases and 15 deaths, the true number of victims is believed to be higher.

Mr Pompeo also lamented a lack of transparency from China in its handling of the outbreak.

“Had China permitted its own and foreign journalists and medical personnel to speak and investigate freely, Chinese officials and other nations would have been far better prepared to address the challenge,” he said.

Mr Pompeo criticised Beijing for expelling American journalists, saying that it “exposes once again the government’s issue that led to Sars and now the coronavirus, namely censorship”.

“It can have deadly consequences,” he said.

Most of the coronavirus cases reported elsewhere in the Middle East have been sourced to Iran.

Bahrain’s Health Ministry identified six more cases on Tuesday, bringing the total number in the kingdom to 26.

Oman also reported two more cases originating in Iran, bringing its total to four, while Iraq now has five cases.

Kuwait, which has 25 confirmed cases, suspended flights to and from South Korea, Thailand, Iran, Italy and Iraq.

The UAE also halted all flights to and from Iran after 13 cases of the virus were confirmed in the country.

Lebanon, which has two confirmed cases, restricted flights for pilgrims going to or returning from Iran, Iraq and other areas.

In the US, the Centres for Disease Control and Prevention warned on Tuesday that further spreading of the virus was likely.

The US has so far reported at least 57 cases of the virus, including 19 new sufferers diagnosed at the weekend.