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Iran’s leadership defends coronavirus handling in Nowruz addresses

Iran's supreme leader canceled his public Nowruz speech and instead addressed Iranians on state TV.
TEHRAN, IRAN - MARCH 20: (----EDITORIAL USE ONLY â MANDATORY CREDIT - "IRANIAN SUPREME LEADER PRESS OFFICE / HANDOUT" - NO MARKETING NO ADVERTISING CAMPAIGNS - DISTRIBUTED AS A SERVICE TO CLIENTS----) Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei delivers his message for the Iranian New Year, or Nowruz in Tehran, Iran on March 20, 2020. (Photo by Iranian Supreme Leader Press Office / Handout/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)

In separate speeches to mark the Persian new year, Iran’s top leaders pledged to defeat the coronavirus outbreak that’s so far claimed the lives of more than 1,400 Iranians.

After canceling his annual Nowruz public address in the city of Mashhad earlier this month, Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei released a video address on state TV Friday. 

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