British embassy workers are being withdrawn from Iran, the epicentre of the coronavirus outbreak in the Middle East, as the number of cases jumped by more than half on Sunday and international experts continue to question official Iranian figures.

The health ministry’s spokesperson, Kianoush Jahanpour, put Iran’s death toll from the epidemic on Sunday to 54 with 978 confirmed cases of infection. However, some claim the real figure could be as high as 18,000.

Dependents and non-essential staff were being withdrawn from the British embassy in Tehran on Sunday, while essential staff are remaining to work.

Infections across the Middle East - as well as others in Canada, Norway and New Zealand - have been traced back to Iran, most of which are linked to the city of Qom, a popular pilgrimage site.

The virus is believed to have entered Iran via a merchant who regularly travelled between Qom and Wuhan - the Chinese city where the virus started - according to Iran's health minister.