Coronavirus kills leading Iranian ayatollah, as worries intensify
(Worthy News) – A member of the Assembly of Experts, which has the power to appoint or dismiss the country’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, has died from the COVID-19 illness caused by the virus, the semi-official Fars and Tasnim news agencies reported Monday.
Ayatollah Hashem Bathaei, 78, is the latest of several senior Iranian officials to have been infected. Cabinet ministers, members of parliament, Revolutionary Guard members and Health Ministry officials have caught the virus, compounding fears about Iran’s response to the global pandemic. A member of another clerical body that advises Iran’s supreme leader died earlier this month. Several other officials have also died.
Khamenei, who is 80 years old and has been in power since 1989, wore disposable gloves at a recent public event, apparently as a precaution. [ Source: Israel Hayom (Read More…) ]