Coronavirus: Iran’s vice-president diagnosed with disease as outbreak spreads

Iran's vice-president has been diagnosed with coronavirus, state media have reported, as the country struggles to continue to spread of the disease.

Masoumeh Ebtekar is among 254 people infected with the virus in the Middle Eastern nation, where 26 people have been killed by the outbreak.

She is better known internationally as the English-language spokeswoman for the hostage-takers who seized the US embassy in Tehran in 1979, sparking a 444-day diplomatic crisis.

Coronavirus cases in Iran spiked by 106 over the last 24 hours, the country's health ministry announced on Thursday. The country's death toll from the outbreak is higher than any country except China, where the epidemic began.

-Independent

• Coronavirus
• Iran vice president
• Masoumeh Ebtekar