Iranian DM Warns of Hostile States’ Misusing Coronavirus Impacts against Other Nations

 Iranian Defense Minister Brigadier General Amir Hatami warned that the consequences and difficulties posed by the coronavirus epidemic might encourage some hostile states to act against other countries in pursuit of their goals.

“The performance and impacts of coronavirus can provoke the hostile states to advance their ominous international goals against other nations and our entire nation is, hence, necessitated to be ready to face threats of this type and strengthen their will,” General Hatami said on Tuesday.

He added that the coronavirus epidemic, in addition to the hard conditions that it has created, has also produced achievements for Iran in different aspects and increased the country’s experiences in facing new threats in the future.

“We should always update our preparedness to confront emerging threats in the future,” General Hatami said.

His remarks came a week after Head of Iran’s Civil Defense Organization Brigadier General Gholamreza Jalali questioned the raison detre of 25 US-sponsored level 4 laboratories in Asia, saying Washington is required to explain its objectives to exonerate itself of accusations.

“25 US level 4 laboratories are conducting secret operation outside any supervision by international bodies near Iran, Russia and China within the framework of a biological cooperation plan. These laboratories are capable of manipulating viruses to turn them into a biological weapon,” General Jalali said in an interview with the state TV.

The level 4 laboratories are used for diagnostic work and research on easily transmitted pathogens which can cause fatal disease. These include a number of viruses known to cause viral hemorrhagic fever such as Marburg virus, Ebola virus, Lassa virus, and Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever.

General Jalali warned of the great dangers posed to the countries which host the US level 4 laboratories after the COVID-19 virus outbreak, and urged the international community to devise a monitoring mechanism to supervise them.

He described the US as a prime suspect behind the development of coronavirus, implying that the US has the means and incentives for the biological engineering of the deadly virus.