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Friday prayers resume in Tehran amid fears of new virus surge

Services were held some 20 months after coronavirus concerns forced Iranian Health Ministry officials to bar Muslim worshippers from attending Friday prayers.
Mask-clad Iranians gather in a mosque in the capital, Tehran, to perform Friday prayers.

Tehran held public prayers on Friday for the first time since coronavirus concerns in March 2020 prompted the Iranian government to halt the weekly religious service. 

Worshippers attending the service at Tehran University were required to social distance and wear face masks. The resumption of Friday prayers comes as 400 Muslim scholars and religious leaders gathered in the Iranian capital for the 35th annual International Islamic Unity Conference, which began on Tuesday. 

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