US Calls on Iran to Release Prisoners Amid Coronavirus Outbreak

The US has called on Iran to release all American detainees amid the spread of the coronavirus in the Islamic Republic’s prison system. “The United States will hold the Iranian regime directly responsible for any American deaths. Our response will be decisive,” Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said in a statement. “Reports that COVID-19 [the disease caused by the virus] has spread to Iranian prisons are deeply troubling and demand nothing less than the full and immediate release of all American citizens,” the top US diplomat added. Tehran this week temporarily released some 70,000 prisoners, although the UN described the move as “too little, too late.” Iran on Tuesday reported 54 new deaths in the previous 24-hour period, the highest single-day toll since the start of the outbreak there. Overall, more than 8,000 Iranians have been diagnosed with the virus and almost 300 have died.