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Coronavirus spurs regional humanitarian outreach to Iran

The UAE, Kuwait and Qatar provide help to Coronavirus-stricken Iran, while there is talk that the United States could ease the way for aid to Iran while Iran released American prisoners who could be prime COVID-19 targets.
People wear protective face masks, following the outbreak of coronavirus, as they sit in a metro in Tehran, Iran March 17, 2020. WANA (West Asia News Agency)/Ali Khara via REUTERS ATTENTION EDITORS - THIS PICTURE WAS PROVIDED BY A THIRD PARTY - RC2PLF9NILL2

WASHINGTON — The United Arab Emirates, Kuwait and Qatar have reached out to Iran to provide humanitarian assistance to help it combat one of the world’s biggest outbreaks of coronavirus, as some experts and former policymakers urged the United States and Iran to pursue “virus diplomacy” to save Iranian lives.

Iran today reported a sharp 15% spike in coronavirus deaths overnight, saying 147 people had died from COVID-19 in the previous 24 hours. Iran reported that its official death toll from coronavirus was 1,135, and the total number of confirmed cases at 17,361. Some experts believe the actual numbers of those afflicted in Iran may be higher.

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