Iran's coronavirus single-day 207 death toll highest since Aug. 1 - health ministry

Iran's death toll from the novel coronavirus rose by 207 to 25,222 on Friday, with the total number of identified cases spiking to 439,882, a health ministry spokeswoman said.

It was the highest single-day death toll since the ministry registered 216 deaths on August 1.

Ministry spokeswoman Sima Sadat Lari told state TV that 3,563 new cases were identified in the last 24 hours in Iran, the hardest-hit by the pandemic in the Middle East.

Iran's health officials have voiced alarm over a surge in infections, urging the nation to respect health protocols to control the spread of the disease.