TEHRAN — Head of the Health Department of the General Staff of the Armed Forces has said Iran is investigating whether the spread of coronavirus in the country was part of a biological warfare.

“Every country is considering this matter to see the likelihood of any biological warfare behind the issue,” General Hassan Araghizadeh said in an interview with Mehr published on Sunday.

“The Iranian scientific centers are also conducting researches in this regard, however, a definite decision needs more time and effort,” Araghizadeh said.

General Araghizadeh pointed out that the armed forces are equipped with necessary skills and facilities to identify any biological threat in time and carry out treatment procedures, adding that special health sectors are dedicated to carrying out extensive research and taking the necessary measures in countering bioterrorism.

The Iranian armed forces have been playing an active role in combatting the new pandemic.

According to General Araghizadeh, 70% of the capacities of the Iranian armed forces’ hospitals are dedicated to the treatment of coronavirus patients.

“We have also committed ourselves to provide about 10,000 beds for the patients recovering from the disease,” he added.

Last month, the commander of Civil Defense Organization has said the novel coronavirus has many characteristics of a biological warfare.

“It cannot be said with certainty whether coronavirus is a biological warfare, but it has many characteristics of a biological warfare,” Brigadier General Gholam Reza Jalali said on Tuesday.

He said further experiments in labs are needed to see whether that’s the case.

Commander of the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) Major General Hossein Salami has said Iran is currently engaged in biological warfare and will definitely win the war.

“Today, we are involved in biological warfare, but the country is resisting,” Salami said on Thursday.

“The enemy is still focusing on economic pressure and psychological operation (against Iran) and uses every opportunity to toughen the conditions for our people. The enemy is seeking to shape the regional developments in its own favor,” the IRGC commander further warned.

The coronavirus, also called COVID-19, initially emerged in China late last year and soon spread across the world.

In Iran, the outbreak has so far killed 4474 people and infected 71,686 others. Some 43,894 people have also recovered.

MH/PA