The polls were marked by a historically low turnout and criticized as largely uncompetitive after an unelected panel of clerics and lawyers barred all the major reformist and centrist candidates from running, all but guaranteeing Raisi’s victory.
Rouhani for his part accuses the hardliners in parliament of sacrificing national interests for domestic power struggles ahead of the presidential election in June.
Iran generally uses the term "global arrogance" to refer to the United States.
China has delivered several shipments of medical supplies to Iran. On February 29, a five-member Chinese medical team visited Iran for a month-long mission to help Iran fight the pandemic.
The president said it was likely that until the end of the current Iranian year which ends on March 20, 2021, the country will be grappling with the disease.
On January 8, amid heightened tensions between Iran and the US, the Kiev-bound Ukraine International Airlines (UIA) flight PS75 crashed shortly after taking off from Tehran killing 176 people on board.
Iranian President Hassan Rouhani said that the aircraft, which had flown close to a sensitive military site belonging to the elite Revolutionary Guards, was shot down “unintentionally due to human error”.
The Iranian military also put out a statement earlier today stating that the plane was mistaken for a “hostile target” after it turned toward a “sensitive military centre” of the Revolutionary Guard. It also blamed the “highest level of readiness” resulting from tensions with the United States.
Zarif rejected false claims by American officials that they did not have time to process the application.
Secretary of State Pompeo said the US would not hesitate to hit back hard against Iran's 'kleptocratic regime' if it came under attack, but pledged that any action would be consistent with the rule of law.
