Iran reports 157 new coronavirus deaths, raising total to 2,234

Iran on Thursday reported 157 new deaths due to the novel coronavirus, raising the nationwide death toll to 2,234.

Health Ministry spokesperson Kianoush Jahanpour said 2,389 people were confirmed to have contracted the virus in the last 24 hours, bringing the total to 29,406, Al Jazeera reported.

Also, 10,457 people have recovered from COVID-19, according to health officials.

Meanwhile, Iran has ruled out "foreign" help on the ground to deal with the coronavirus outbreak after an offer from a France-based medical charity, as the country's death toll from the contagion surged past 2,200.

Doctors Without Borders (MSF) said Sunday it planned to send a nine-member team and equipment to set up a 50-bed hospital, stirring opposition from ultra-conservative circles in Iran.

Iran has the fifth-highest official death toll from the coronavirus after Italy, China, the US, and Spain but, unlike those countries, it has yet to impose any lockdown on its citizens.