Senior Iranian diplomat dies of coronavirus infection

Hossein Sheikholeslam, Iran’s former ambassador to Syria and former advisor to Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif, passed away from coronavirus infection, reports FARS news agency.

Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif, Foreign Ministry Spokesman Seyed Abbas Mousavi and other Iranian officials extended condolences over the death of Sheikholeslam.

Sheikholeslam was also an assistant to the parliament Speaker Ali Larijani for the International Affairs. He was a member of the Seventh Iranian Parliament, and also served as the Iranian ambassador to Syria. Sheikholeslam was elected deputy for international affairs at the World Forum for Proximity of Islamic Schools of Thought (WFPIST) in June 2018.

According to the latest reports on Thursday, the death toll from the coronavirus outbreak in Iran has risen to 107 with 3,513 confirmed cases.