Iran has let its covid-19 outbreak get out of hand

NOWHERE HAS covid-19 hit a country’s leaders harder than in Iran. Two vice-presidents, ministers and 24 members of parliament (almost 10% of the total) have contracted the virus. Two of those parliamentarians, as well as two former high-ranking diplomats and a member of an advisory council to Iran’s supreme leader, have been killed by it. Hassan Rouhani, the president, now hosts sparsely attended cabinet meetings, as questions mount about the absence of other senior officials.According to the government, the virus has infected 9,000 people and killed over 300. That would make it the second-biggest outbreak outside China (see chart). But no one believes the government’s numbers. The outbreak is probably much worse than it is letting on.