TEHRAN – Foreign Ministry spokesman Abbas Mousavi said on Sunday that serious efforts are underway to evacuate tens of Iranian students from Italy, a country which has been hit the worst in the world by the coronavirus pandemic.

Mousavi said as soon as necessary permissions are issued, in view of the fact that an emergency situation has been declared in Italy, the necessary steps will be taken for bringing students home.

He said the Foreign Ministry will follow the issue until a final result in coordination with the Iranian national headquarters tasked to contain the coronavirus, the Iranian embassy in Rome and the Italian government.

As of March 29, the coronavirus has killed 10,779 people in Italy and infected 97,689.

Iran itself, which is under heaviest illegal U.S. sanctions in history, is also hit hard by the virus . So far, over 2,600 Iranians have fallen victim to the deadly virus. About 39,000 have also contracted the virus.

PA/PA