4 more Iranian deputies test positive for coronavirus

Four Iranian deputies have reportedly tested positive for coronavirus, according to an Iranian member of parliament.

Tests were carried out for 30 deputies in the Iranian parliament, Mohammad Ali Vakili said in a tweet on Thursday.

"According to the results of the coronavirus tests, four out of the 30 deputies in the parliament have been tested positive so far," Vakili said, without naming them.

This week at least three Iranian officials tested positive for the fatal virus.

On Thursday, Mojtaba Zonnour, head of Iran's parliamentary security and foreign relations commission, said he had tested positive for coronavirus.

Iran has seen a spike in COVID-19 cases over the past week and the number of infected people in the country reached 245 on Thursday.

The country's Health Ministry also confirmed 26 deaths due to coronavirus.

Iran is one of over 35 countries that account for the nearly 80,000 COVID-19 cases confirmed around the world.

At least nine countries in the Middle East have reported coronavirus cases.

The global death toll from COVID-19 is around 2,800, and China, where the outbreak originated, is the worst hit, with more than 78,000 cases and over 2,700 fatalities.