Iranian Parliament Speaker tests COVID-19 positive

Ali Larijani, Speaker of the Iranian Parliament, has tested positive for the novel coronavirus.

Larijani was currently quarantined and being treated, Xinhua news agency quoted a state media report as saying on Thursday.

Iran is the worst-hit country in the Middle East.

It has so far reported 50,468 confirmed cases, with 3,160 deaths.

Larijani has joined a list of Iranian lawmakers who have tested positive for the virus, including senior adviser to Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, Ali Akbar Velayati, and Vice President Eshaq Jahangiri.

At least seven officials and lawmakers, including an adviser to Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif, have died from the virus.