COVID-19 pandemic in Iran

During the COVID-19 pandemic, Iran reported its first confirmed cases of SARS-CoV-2 infections on 19 February 2020 in Qom. The virus may have been brought to the country by a merchant from Qom who had travelled to China.
Government response.
In response to the coronavirus the government cancelled public events and Friday prayers. They closed schools, universities, shopping centres, bazaars, and holy shrines; and banned festival celebrations. 
Economic help were also announced to help families and businesses. The government at first did not support plans to quarantine entire cities and areas. The government later announced a ban on travel between cities following an increase in the number of new cases.
Numbers.
Some outside guesses of the numbers of COVID-19 deaths are much higher than those from government sources, with one saying over 40,000 deaths. The government has also been accused of cover-ups, censorship, and not handling the pandemic well. However, the World Health Organization says that it has not seen problems with Iran's reported numbers.
Cases and deaths.
Many government ministers and senior officials have been diagnosed as SARS-CoV-2 positive. 23 members of the Parliament (around 8% of all MPs) tested positive. 
At least 12 sitting or former Iranian politicians and officials had died from the virus by 17 March. 
Notable deaths.
Some of the well known Iranians reported to have died from COVID-19 include: