Iran warns of economic fallout from coronavirus as ‘low-risk’ shops reopen

As its death toll from the coronavirus hits 4,585, Iran — desperate to get the economy going — allows an assortment of shops to reopen and lifts its ban on travel between provinces.
Volunteers from Basij forces wearing protective suits and face masks spray disinfectant in the streets, amid the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) fears, in Tehran, Iran April 3, 2020. WANA (West Asia News Agency)/Ali Khara via REUTERS ATTENTION EDITORS - THIS PICTURE WAS PROVIDED BY A THIRD PARTY - RC2ZWF9FYUHG
Volunteers from Basij forces wearing protective suits and face masks spray disinfectant in the streets to fight the coronavirus in Tehran, Iran, April 3, 2020. - WANA/Ali Khara via REUTERS
Al Monitor: The Pulse of the Middle East
Al-Monitor Staff

Iran must fight both COVID-19 and economic sanctions, a government spokesman said Monday, as the country moved to reopen businesses struggling in the coronavirus-battered economy. 

The government is concerned over both "the health and lives of the population from the coronavirus and its economic and social consequences,” government spokesman Ali Rabiei said during a televised news conference. 

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