Iran’s Supreme Leader and President promised on Friday that the country would overcome one of the world’s deadliest viral outbreaks just as it had faced down sweeping U.S. sanctions. In messages marking the Persian New Year holiday Nowruz, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and President Hassan Rouhani both acknowledged that the past year had been difficult. Ayatollah Khamenei paid tribute to the sacrifices of the country’s doctors and nurses in tackling the virus, which has infected at least 18,407 people in Iran and killed 1,284, according to an official tally.
In his message to Iranians, broadcast shortly after the Supreme Leader’s, Mr. Rouhani trumpeted Iran’s success in withstanding U.S. sanctions on the country’s vital oil sector.
