Iranian President Hassan Rouhani said in an address to Iran’s national coronavirus committee that aired on IRINN TV (Iran) that according to Iran’s Health Ministry, as many as 25 million Iranians have been infected by COVID-19, reports the Middle East Media Research Institute (MEMRI).

He said that according to Health Ministry reports, the outbreak of COVID-19 in Iran originated in the provinces of Qom and Gilan.

President Rouhani explained that the virus appears to have been spread in Qom by businessmen and merchants from Wuhan, and in Gilan by delegations of students and athletes from Wuhan.