Former Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad sent a letter to the United Nations promoting a conspiracy theory that the coronavirus is a biological weapon created in a laboratory.

The bombastic former leader posted a copy of his letter to U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Monday. In the letter, he claimed the coronavirus is “a new weapon for establishing and/or maintaining [the] political and economic upper hand in the global arena.”

He went on to say the flu-like illness, which has infected tens of thousands, was “produced in laboratories” by the “warfare stock houses of biologic war belonging to world hegemonic powers.” Ahmadinejad, who, during his tenure as president, promoted the destruction of Israel, said the illness was more destructive than nuclear and chemical weapons.



It is clear to the world that the mutated coronavirus was produced in lab, manufactured by the warfare stock houses of biological war belonging to world powers,& that it constitutes a threat on humanity more destructive than the other weapons that target humanity.@antonioguterres pic.twitter.com/lLLzvdMAGo — Mahmoud Ahmadinejad (@Ahmadinejad1956) March 9, 2020



The coronavirus has particularly affected Iran, where more than 7,000 people have been infected and at least 237 have died. However, that number has been disputed by academics and dissident groups who claimed there could be tens, if not hundreds of thousands, of cases.

The flu-like illness recently killed a top adviser to Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and has infected Iran's Deputy Health Minister Iraj Harirchi and Masoumeh Ebtekar, one of the country’s vice presidents.



Firefighters disinfect a traditional shopping center in northern Tehran, Iran. (Ebrahim Noroozi/AP)

As of last week, about 10% of Iran’s parliament contracted the COVID-19 virus, a number that further raised questions about its reporting. Citing internal data, the National Council of Resistance of Iran, a group advocating for regime change, claimed that more than 2,000 people have died.

There were more than 600 confirmed cases and 22 deaths across the United States as of Monday afternoon. The outbreak, combined with dropping oil prices, caused circuit breakers in the stock market to halt trading at its open on Monday, with declines in the Dow Jones Industrial index reaching about 8% at times.