TEHRAN — Iranian Ambassador to Bishkek Saeed Kharrazi met on Tuesday with Kyrgyz Deputy Health Minister Tolo Isakov to exchange views on ways to cooperate in the battle against the coronavirus outbreak.

During the meeting, Kharrazi presented a report on the activities of Iran in the battle against the infectious virus in the country.

According to the Kyrgyz deputy health minister, no case of coronavirus has been reported in his country so far.

He also said that they request the Iranian embassy to exchange necessary information on fighting against coronavirus with Kyrgyz officials.

As of Tuesday, the death toll from the coronavirus outbreak in Iran has risen to 77 with 2,336 confirmed cases.

The virus first emerged in China in December last year and is now spreading in the U.S., Europe and across the Middle East, sparking fears of a global pandemic. 

Meanwhile, U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo has claimed Washington is ready to help Iran in the battle with the infectious disease.

Iran’s Foreign Ministry spokesman Abbas Mousavi responded on Monday to Pompeo’s remarks, saying that Iran does not count on the United States’ help to counter the virus.

“We have doubts about the United States’ intention and we do not count on its help. You saw that the United States even causes impediments to the Swiss humanitarian channel,” he said at a news conference.

Washington has no good intention and just makes propaganda, Mousavi added.

An American weekly news magazine has said that the unilateral U.S. sanctions against Iran have complicated the country’s access to life-saving medical supplies, hampering its ability to effectively respond to the deadly spread of the new coronavirus.

MH/PA