The prayer imam in the holy city of Qom discussed the recent coronavirus outbreak in the city during Friday prayers.
Holy cleric Hojjat ol-Eslam Seyyed Mohammad Saeedi blamed President Donald Trump for the outbreak.
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There are reports that up to 50 people have died in Iran from the coronavirus.
#CORONAVIRUS UPDATE
Iran lawmaker @ahmadamirabadi1 reveals 50 ppl have died in Qom in past 2 weeks.
Meanwhile the Gov claims only 12 have died. Regime was aware of #COVID19 spreading but kept it secret to mobilize crowds for sham election@WHO @statedeptspox @USAdarFarsi @eu_eeas pic.twitter.com/xk1GaRCSjn— M. Hanif Jazayeri (@HanifJazayeri) February 24, 2020
The main Shia seminary is in Qom.
https://twitter.com/maziarbahari/status/1231989333709729792
Radio Farda reported:
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The Friday Prayer Imam of the religious city of Qom, the epicenter of coronavirus outbreak in Iran, told his congregation Saturday that U.S. President Donald Trump targeted the city with coronavirus “to damage its culture and honor”.
Most of the coronavirus cases in Iran include people living in Qom and those who have visited the religious city recently. These cases have no clear epidemiological link to the outbreak in China.
Qom is the religious capital of Iran, home to many seminaries and the Shrine of Masoumeh and a bastion for hardliners. The city’s economy revolves around the Shrine which thousands of pilgrims from Iran and other countries visit every day.
