DUBAI -- The Iranian regime covered up news of the coronavirus for three days to avoid impacting turnout at parliamentary elections, documents obtained by an Iranian exile-run news site show. The regime worried that low turnout in the elections would exacerbate a legitimacy crisis that had already been sparked by mass protests in the country. While Iranian authorities insist they began taking the necessary steps as soon as they were alerted of the outbreak, a letter from Brig. Gen. Gholamreza Jalali, the head of Iran's Civil Defense Organization, dated Feb. 19 shows otherwise. It instructs the Chief of Staff of the Armed Forces, Secretary of the Supreme National Security Council and the Minister of Interior to implement measures including extra training for medical personnel, reassuring the public and preventing travel. Provision 15 contained the phrase: "Intensified control of public gatherings and an emphasis on public health (after the elections)," according to the document, first published by Iranwire. An economy already strained by heavy spending on foreign militias and proxy networks was further pressured with US sanctions targeting Iranian oil sales. Last November, the regime hiked the price of fuel, triggering massive popular protests and the government killed at least 1,500 people to quell the unrest. The Iranian regime also stepped up its attacks on Western interests in the Middle East. On Dec. 27, it launched ballistic missiles against an army base housing US troops in neighboring Iraq, killing one US contractor and injuring others. The United States retaliated by assassinating the military general leading Iran's international operations Qassem Soleimani on Jan. 3. The Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps then mistakenly shot down a Ukrainian civilian airliner, killing all 176 on board a week later. So turnout in parliamentary elections on Feb. 21 was seen as a critical indicator of legitimacy for the revolutionary regime as it celebrated its 41st anniversary in power. Iran's first two coronavirus deaths were announced on Feb. 19 in the Shiite city of Qom. -- Al Arabiya English
