Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps head Maj.-Gen. Hossein Salami met with Iran’s health minister, according to recent reports at Iran’s Tasnim News Agency.
During the meeting, the IRGC was praised for its role in helping Iran against COVID-19. The health crisis mobilized Iranian society to limit the disease, and the IRGC, which is usually thought of as a militarized organization that spreads Iranian influence around the region, has been tasked with picking up the slack of weak and poor health services across the country.
The meeting took place with the head of the IRGC.
“In spite of all the problems and tragedies it [COVID-19] caused, it also caused a strong empathy and national feeling in the people,” the report said. “The most beautiful sense of sacrifice was created, and a new and beautiful characterization of society was formed by the nurses. There were deep ties formed between the IRGC and the medical staff across the country. Major-General Salami described the efforts made in recent months to vaccinate his compatriots as very important and valuable.”
He said that Iran has recently seen a decline in virus cases. Iran had a surge of cases when the pandemic began, and many senior leadership members of the country became ill. Initial denial led to mass mobilization.
The IRGC seeks to take over larger parts of Iranian society, from key defense industries to now playing a role in the health sector.
“IRGC also has very good plans in this area,” the report said. “We hope that we can also make a plan in this area. We have also provided production infrastructure and are waiting for a license,” indicating that the IRGC wants to be involved in any local rollout of treatments for COVID-19.
Salami said the IRGC “using local forces, building highly advanced medical centers and providing manpower in deprived areas are among these solutions.”
Salami received a plaque expressing appreciation for his role in fighting COVID-19. According to other reports in Iran, the struggle over the last two years has been “unprecedented.”
Source » jpost