In this picture released by an official website of the office of the Iranian supreme leader, Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei talks to clerics in his Islamic thoughts class in Tehran, Iran, Sunday, Nov. 17, 2019. Iran’s supreme leader on Sunday backed the government’s decision to raise gasoline prices and called angry protesters who have been setting fire to public property over the hike “thugs,” signaling a potential crackdown on the demonstrations. (Office of the Iranian Supreme Leader via AP)

BBC Persian has obtained several videos recorded inside of a morgue in Qom, Iran, the holy city where the coronavirus is believed to have originated in the country. The Iranian government has reported 77 deaths from the coronavirus so far. But if all or most of the bodies currently inside the morgue are those of coronavirus victims, the real number is significantly higher.

The first video was posted by Middle East correspondent and George Washington University professor Joyce Karam.

One of the replies to Karam’s post contains the same video, but with English subtitles.

The BBC Persian videos were first published by Zerohedge’s Tyler Durden this afternoon.

Durden reported:

As of Tuesday Iranian health officials announced 2,336 coronavirus cases and 77 dead, including 23 parliament members confirmed for the virus, which is roughly 10% of Iran’s legislature. All of this strongly suggests much bigger numbers of infected nationwide, after multiple reports alleged the Islamic Republic is hiding its true numbers, or at least refusing to test. Further leaked video published in the series Tuesday by BBC Persian shows health workers in full Hazmat gear burying victims believed infected by Covid-19… Among the new series of leaked videos includes footage that appears to show preparations for mass graves as the crisis rapidly worsens in the Islamic Republic.

قبرستان سرخ‌حصار، شهر قدس، استان تهران؛ تدفین با تمهیدات بهداشتی ویژه ناظران، مقامات ایران را به پنهانکاری در مورد ابعاد شیوع ویروس کرونا متهم می‌کنند اما آیت‌الله خامنه‌ای، رهبر ایران امروز گفت که اطلاع‌رسانی درباره ویروس کرونا در ایران شفاف و صادقانه است. pic.twitter.com/YzcGEBMo8u — BBC NEWS فارسی (@bbcpersian) March 3, 2020

Earlier today, London based Iranian journalist M. Hanif Jazayeri, posted a video of Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khamenei downplaying the crisis. However, his remarks belie so much of the other information that’s been leaking out of the country.

Yesterday, I posted on the death of an advisor to Khamenei, Mohammad Mirmohammadi, 71, from the coronavirus. His death comes on the heels of news that several high profile regime officials had either died from or been diagnosed with the coronavirus.

Khamenei dismisses #CoronaVirus as "not that big a deal", even calls it a "blessing". Iranians should pray against the virus "as prayer can solve many problems" Meanwhile the opposition MEK confirms 1000+ #COVID19 deaths in Iran CC: @WHO @VP @statedeptspox @PressSec @VPPressSec pic.twitter.com/2Fki7wCCYp — M. Hanif Jazayeri (@HanifJazayeri) March 3, 2020

Additionally, U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo offered to help the country deal with this crisis, which Iran refused.



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Writer at RedStateMBA, former financial consultant, options traderMom of three grown children, grandmotherEmail Elizabeth at [email protected] Read more by Elizabeth Vaughn