Islamic Republic’s dead end shows itself once more, when Rouhani admits to not knowing what else to do, and ask his critics to show him the way instead of cursing at him! In today’s cabinet meeting, Rouhani tells people not to invest in gold and currency but TSE, Tehran Stock Exchange which has been going up artificially and experienced its second consecutive day of crashing. While people are experiencing financial difficulties, they’re also grappling with COVID-19.
Islamic Republic continues its charade of announcing daily stats while they’re widely unreliable, statistically impossible and undercounted. Sima Sadat Lari announced 2,510 new confirmed cases in the past 24 hours while 188 people have died of the disease in the same time period. The same 26 provinces which have been in red or alarming situation for the last few weeks, remain in the respective categories, which in reality doesn’t make any difference. On the ground, it means more than 92% of Iran’s population are in critical COVID-19 status.
While the discussion over holding Moharram mourning gatherings and Konkour has become part of daily national news, and experts believe both of those are big mistakes leading to new waves of cases and deaths in the already country’s collapsing healthcare and economy systems, the ones making the decisions follow Khamenei and religious leaders, saying both must be held! Today, Dr. Mostafa Moein, former Science Minister and current head of Supreme Council of Iran Medical Council, said if he had a say in the matter would cancel both Konkour and Moharram for this year!
However, religious leaders don’t back down, since this is their most important month! Their whole ideology, propaganda and of course, income is based on Moharram. To the point that this cleric claims losing life due to COVID-19 in a Moharram mourning gathering would make a martyr! “Despite Corona we must participate in Moharram gatherings, there is absolutely no problem if you contract corona, you’d be a martyr. We will sacrifice ourselves for Imam (Hossein).”
On the other hand, Saeed Namaki said he or his office haven’t complained about any media outlet since he’s taken office, in response to a question about Jahan-e-Sanat seizure by Judiciary over an article about engineered COVID-19 stats. He also emphasized the stats in Iran are one of the clearest in the world. Mohammadreza Mahboubfar had said the stats provided by the Ministry are 1/20 of the reality! Saeed Namaki suddenly remembered there is a vaccine in the works in Iran, saying it has “almost” passed its initial phases and is ready for human trials! What “almost” means in this concept is a different story, but it’s curious that he mentioned the news right when Russia is getting ready to mass produce its highly questionable virus. It shouldn’t be passed Islamic Republic to import that virus and rebrand it as their own, testing it on innocent Iranians, killing several birds with one stone!
Basic Reproduction Rate (R0) and graphs continue to be the a good tool to monitor the status of COVID-19 crisis in Iran, besides local reports which indicate a human catastrophe and a vicious cycle including poverty, religious ideas, inaction by the regime, and so on! Also, prisoners remain in their horrific situation, with more and more positive tests from different prisons across the country. Islamic Republic could be using the deadly virus to get rid of its jailed opposition members and political activists.
R0: 1.42
Total: 333,699 (+2,510)
Dead: 18,988 (+188)
Healed: 290,244
Critical: 3,940 (-43)
Admitted: 24,467 (+698)
Tests: 2,763,225
