The authorities in Iran, the epicenter of the coronavirus outbreak in the Middle East, reported a 58 percent jump in confirmed infections to 388 on Friday and a 30 percent increase in deaths to 34, and the health minister warned of a “pretty difficult week” ahead.

But the authorities denied a BBC Persia report that the deaths totaled at least 210 — a vastly higher figure — based on the news service’s own survey of Iranian hospitals.

The conflicting information punctuated the mixed messages and confusion that have been emanating from Iran since it disclosed the first coronavirus deaths a little over a week ago. Confirmed infections and deaths have been rising steadily since then, most reported from Qom, a holy city and important Shiite pilgrimage site, but a growing number have emerged in Tehran and other parts of the country of 80 million.

Senior figures in the Tehran hierarchy initially sought to play down the coronavirus as a manageable problem, exaggerated by their foreign enemies as a scare tactic. But at least seven officials have been infected, including the government’s top woman in the cabinet and a Health Ministry deputy who has been leading the coronavirus response. Infections in neighboring countries and even some as far as Canada, Norway and New Zealand have been traced to Iran.