Since the 1980s, Iran has forged a network of political alliances across the Middle East that now give it more influence than its Gulf rivals and the United States. Tehran has exploited local grievances, sectarian identity, and conflicts to create or foster political parties, most visibly in Lebanon, Iraq and the Palestinian Territories but also smaller underground movements in Bahrain and Kuwait.
Iran’s government was initially slow to react to the spread of coronavirus, which was first reported in Qom on February 19. But as the death toll rose, Iran upped its efforts to contain the disease, which had reached all 31 provinces by March 5. The government closed schools, universities and cultural centers and cancelled Friday prayer in several provinces. It dispatched security forces, firemen and health workers to disinfect streets and public transportation. In Qom, roadblocks were set up to screen people leaving the city.
The Iranian public coped with the outbreak of the coronavirus in a wide variety of ways. Some made personal sacrifices for the benefit of society. The chief nurse of a Tehran hospital postponed her wedding ceremony so that she could continue working. Others responded by trying to keep public morale up by posting messages of solidarity and uplifting videos on social media. But there was also a video of an attack on a clinic rumored to be treating coronavirus patients. By March 9, the virus had infected 7,161 people in all 31 provinces; 237 had died.
On March 3, 2020, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) released two reports that criticized Iran for violations of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA). In the first report, the U.N. nuclear watchdog found Iran had tripled its stockpile of low enriched uranium since its last quarterly report.
Iran’s prisons became a focal point in the outbreak of the coronavirus since shortly after the first case was reported on February 19. By February 25, cases were reported in at least three prisons— Karaj Prison, Evin Prison and Tehran's Greater Prison, also known as Fashafuyeh.
On March 2, France, Germany and Britain pledged $5.6 million in financial aid to help the Iranian government fight the coronavirus. The so-called E3 countries also announced a delivery of medical equipment through the World Health Organization and other U.N. agencies. "France, Germany and the United Kingdom express their full solidarity with all impacted by COVID-19 in Iran," the countries said in a joint statement.
In a break from two years of its maximum pressure campaign, the United States offered Iran humanitarian aid to help with the crisis caused by the coronavirus outbreak. “This offer of support to the Iranian people, which has been formally conveyed to Iran through the Government of Switzerland, underscores our ongoing commitment to address health crises and prevent the spread of infectious diseases,” Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said on February 28. He added that medicine donations are exempt from U.S. sanctions.
As of March 2021, more than year after the first COVID cases were reported, Iranian leaders struggled with public messaging. The government had responded slowly to the outbreak of the coronavirus and then scrambled to catch up as it spread quickly across the country. Top government officials initially refused to acknowledge the severity of Iran’s outbreak, one of the early hotspots outside China.
At a time of horrific economic pressure resulting from U.S. sanctions, a recession, high inflation, and the mismanagement of its own finances, Iran could ill afford another blow to its stability. Now one has come in the form of a public health crisis caused by the coronavirus. On top of the 19 deaths and 139 infections reported so far—which could be an understatement from underreporting—the disease has shut down schools, universities, and some public spaces, likely sowing fear, political discontent, and mistrust.
On February 21, Iranians headed to the polls to elect a new parliament. The regime cites turnout as a reflection of public support, so it encouraged citizens to fulfill their “national duty.” Fars News Agency reported that the turnout was about 40 percent nationwide and only 30 percent in Tehran as of 6:00 p.m., when polls were originally due to close.
