The number of people that have been killed from the coronavirus inside the Islamic Republic of Iran has reportedly exploded as an Iranian member of parliament admitted on Friday that the nation was lying to the world about the “horrific numbers” of deaths the country has suffered.

The BBC reported:

At least 210 people in Iran have died as a result of the new coronavirus disease, sources in the country’s health system have told BBC Persian. Most of the victims are from the capital, Tehran, and the city of Qom, where cases of Covid-19 first emerged.

Iran’s Islamic government, which is notoriously dishonest, insisted that the BBC was lying and claimed that only 388 people had been infected and only 34 had died.

New York Times reporter Farnaz Fassihi reported on Friday: “Real infected numbers about 10,000 to 15,000, says head of health committee of Tehran city council.”

#Iran coronavirus Friday:

Tolls climbs 34 dead & 388 infected.

Likely spread to 22 provinces.

Peak will come next weeks as tests kits are more available, health minister.

Real infected numbers about 10,000 to 15,000, says head of health committee of Tehran city council.

#كرونا — Farnaz Fassihi (@farnazfassihi) February 28, 2020

The BBC’s numbers were based on the “news service’s own survey of Iranian hospitals.”

“I say this explicitly, the statistics presented so far are not true,” MP Gholamali Jafarzadeh Imenabadi reportedly said. “I have statistics about the number of deaths due to coronavirus from three different cemeteries in Rasht and I have to say that the numbers are much higher than what is being said. It is not as if we can hide the cemeteries.”

Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said on Friday that the administration has made repeated offers to help Iran deal with the outbreak, but have been rejected.

Iranian foreign ministry spokesman Abbas Mousavi falsely accused the U.S. of playing a “political-psychological game” on Iran.