COVID-19
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Iranian cities are expecting another wave of COVID-19, the country's health minister said on Monday, according to the Xinhua news agency.

Before the Iranian New Year holidays, which started on March 21, the ministry warned that the new COVID-19 variant could be dangerous if it is not controlled and managed, Iranian Minister of Health Saeed Namaki said.

"But unfortunately, no one listened to me about controlling travels (during the holiday), and today we are facing a very serious problem," he added.

"We are currently in a very difficult and tough situation," and the health establishment of the country is being challenged, said the minister.

Iran has for months wrestled with the worst outbreak in the Middle East of COVID-19.

In a clear sign of the scale of the outbreak, dozens of top officials have fallen ill. At least 30 lawmakers have tested positive in recent months and some have died.

High-profile deaths in Iran from the coronavirus include a member of the council advising the Ayatollah, a former ambassador, a newly-elected member of parliament, an adviser to Zarif and a re-elected member of parliament.

To date, Iran has registered more than 1.9 million COVID-19 cases with over 63,000 deaths.