Iran's death toll from coronavirus reaches 724, says health official

Iran said on Sunday that the new coronavirus has killed 113 people in the past 24 hours, raising the country's death toll to 724, a health ministry official tweeted, adding that the number of infected people had reached 13,938.

The new figures were tweeted by Alireza Vahabzadeh, an adviser to Iran's health minister. To contain the outbreak in Iran, one of the deadliest outside of China, officials have called on people to avoid unnecessary trips and stay at home.

A host of senior officials, politicians, doctors, commanders of the elite Revolutionary Guards and clerics have been infected with the virus. Several of them, including an adviser to Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif, has died, according to state media. Health Ministry spokesman Kianush Jahanpur told state TV that 4,590 of those infected had recovered.