In an interview with CNBC, MEI senior research fellow Dr Asif Shuja says that the fear of a low election turnout and preoccupation with the high-stakes election itself caused, and will continue to cause, Iran’s lack of transparency with the COVID-19 situation. Watch the full interview here.

Image caption: Iran’s deputy health minister, Iraj Harirchi, appeared unwell when speaking to reporters about the coronavirus outbreak in Iran, and was later diagnosed with the illness. Mehdi Bolourian / Fars News Agency, shared on Wikimedia Commons.