Iranians gather in packed Muharram ceremonies amid fifth wave

Videos of observers disregarding health protocols add to public anger as Delta COVID variant kills hundreds a day.

Tehran, Iran – Ceremonies to mark the holy Islamic month of Muharram have begun across Iran, even as officials warn that the COVID-19 pandemic is currently claiming a victim every two minutes. The health ministry on Wednesday said 536 more Iranians died over the past 24 hours as it recorded 42,541 cases amid a fifth major wave of infections, this time defined by the highly contagious Delta variant. Since February 2020, more than 95,000 people have died from the disease. But videos from several provinces, including Mashhad, Iran’s second-largest city, on Tuesday showed observers packed together in closed and open spaces without masks.