An Iranian deputy health minister says the Islamic Republic is prepared to help the United States bring the fast-spreading new coronavirus under control in light of the American health system’s shortcomings and cover-up in the face of the pandemic.
“Iran is ready to help America control coronavirus,” Ali-Reza Raeisi told a press conference via video-link on Thursday, IRNA reported.
“The United States’ health care system is incapable of controlling the coronavirus epidemic,” he noted, adding, “Not that we take delight in the US’ incompetence [in the area]. As a Muslim country, we do not take delight in anyone’s ailment,” the official added.
Raeisi emphasized that if there is anywhere in the world, where information related to the pandemic is being covered up, “that would be the US.”
He regretted that US President Donald Trump’s administration had monopolized release of information about the new virus, barring all other parties from announcing statistics and reporting on the matter. This is while the statistics pointing to the extent of the outbreak in Iran is on the World Health Organization’s website for all to see, he said.
The official also compared the virus response in the Islamic Republic to that of the European countries, especially Italy, where the pandemic has taken its biggest worldwide toll after China.
A day earlier, President Hassan Rouhani likewise compared the marked quality of Iran’s performance in the face of the outbreak to that of some major Western countries.