Iran: IRGC, Army, Basij step up efforts to contain COVID surge

Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC), the Army and the Basij volunteer force have mobilized to contain the spread of a fifth wave of the COVID-19 pandemic, driven by the delta variant of coronavirus.

According to Press TV, speaking on Tuesday, IRGC Chief Commander Major General Hossein Salami urged IRGC provincial commanders to use all capacities of the elite military forces and those of Basij against the deadly outbreak.

“Today, in addition to the special circumstances caused by coronavirus, we are facing a severe psychological warfare by the enemies, who are seeking to induce despair in the society. However, this conspiracy will be thwarted through the presence of the Basij forces helping COVID patients and the people,” he said.

“The spread of the disease has reached a dangerous stage,” Salami warned, saying that the Armed Forces should act in a committed manner in their mission to protect the people against the outbreak.

Meanwhile, Commander of the Iranian Army’s Ground Force Brigadier General Kioumars Heydari highlighted the force’s contribution to the country’s fight against the pandemic.

“Since the beginning of the virus outbreak, the Ground Force entered the field with a combative and jihadi spirit, and in this regard, it employed 28 hospitals and 12,000 medical and therapeutic staff,” he added.

“Upon an order by Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces [Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei] …, the Army’s Ground Force was able to turn the anti-coronavirus battlefield into an opportunity with its creativity, innovation and special services.”

Speaking to reporters on Tuesday, Gholam-Hossein Esmaili, who runs the office of Iran’s president, said Tehran was seriously pursuing vaccine purchases from abroad.

Besides the recent purchases, he said, Iran would import around 30 million doses of vaccine from other countries in the coming weeks.

“In parallel with imports, we will promote domestic vaccine production lines,” he added.

SS