After facing sanctions and the risk of war amid tensions with the United States, Iran’s Shiite theocracy now has an enemy in the new coronavirus that infiltrated its leadership in plain view of state-controlled media and despite repeated denials of any looming threat.
The outbreak of the new virus in Iran has been dramatic—the head of Iran’s task force to stop the illness, known as COVID-19, was seen coughing, sweating, and wheezing across televised interviews before acknowledging he was infected. Then, days later, a visibly pale official sat only feet away from President Hassan Rouhani and other top leaders before she too reportedly came down with the virus.
