While Iran is celebrating Nowruz under the shadow of the coronavirus epidemic, President Hassan Rouhani has also delivered his new year speech to the nation in markedly different conditions.

While the entire Iran is struggling to cope with the outbreak of coronavirus, five southern provinces have braced themselves for another uninvited guest -the swarms of locusts some of which consists of two billion hungry insects.

Iranian President Hassan Rouhani has assured people that all needs for medical and health products and foodstuff would be fully satisfied by the administration amid the outbreak of coronavirus, saying the cabinet has made major decisions to support the businesses and individuals affected by the disease.

The Syrian army has announced the closure of airspace over its northwestern provinces, warning Turkey that it will shoot down any invading aircraft in the area.

The official death toll from the outbreak of a novel coronavirus in Iran has reached 43, as the total number of confirmed cases of infection rises to 593, the Health Ministry spokesman said.

Iran’s Health Ministry says eight more people have died of the novel coronavirus during the past 24 hours, increasing the death toll to 34.

Iran's deputy health minister and a senior lawmaker have been infected with the new coronavirus, which is rapidly spreading in the Islamic Republic.

Iran’s government has put in place comprehensive efforts to combat the outbreak of the deadly coronavirus and prevent the spread of the disease in the country.

The Iranian Health Ministry says the total number of Iranians definitely diagnosed with the coronavirus has risen to 61, twelve of whom have died so far.

Russian intelligence sources have confirmed that Michael D’ Andrea, the head of US intelligence operations against Iraq, Iran and Afghanistan, has been killed in Taliban's shoot-down of a US military plane in Ghazni.