Iran's health officials dismissed several statements about a "US sabotage attack" or halts in the country's indigenous vaccine projects. "The production line of COV-Iran Barakat is operating with full capacity," read a statement issued by the state-funded Shifapharmed Industrial Group, which is involved in the production of one in a long list of vaccines Iran says it has developed to immunize its population against multiple variants of the coronavirus.
"The production of Iran's domestic COVID-19 vaccines has been delayed due to an American hostile act," senior conservative Iranian pundit Mohammad Marandi was quoted as saying by Iran's state-funded English-language newspaper, Tehran Times. However, Marandi denied the statement immediately and the Tehran Times tweet with the quote was removed afterward.
