Iran's Health Ministry spokesman Kianush Jahanpour also confirmed the two deaths on Twitter. "Following the recent report of a chronic respiratory disease in Qom, two of the victims tested positive for coronavirus in preliminary tests. Unfortunately, they died in intensive care due to their old age and immune system problems," Jahanpour said.
The head of Iran's Health Ministry's infectious diseases department, Mohammad Mehdi Gouya, said two people who died from the coronavirus had not traveled abroad, further complicating the source of the new coronavirus outbreak.
The two dead were both Iranian citizens and residents of the holy city of Qom.
These are also the first deaths from the coronavirus recorded in the Middle East, and the seventh and eighth outside mainland China - where the outbreak has claimed the lives of more than 2,000 people.
State news agency IRNA said medical teams were dispatched after receiving the information. Based on existing procedures, suspected cases and those who had come into contact with the two deceased were isolated and tested.
