Sanctions-battered Iran faces worst coronavirus wave

Economic pressure has many people simply giving up on social distancing, considering it an unaffordable luxury.

As Iran faces what looks like its worst wave of the coronavirus pandemic yet, Tehran commuters still pour into its subway system and buses each working day, even as images of the gasping ill are repeatedly shown on state television each night. After facing criticism for downplaying the virus last year, Iranian authorities put partial lockdowns and other measures back in place to slow its spread. But in this nation of 84 million people, which faces crushing US sanctions, many struggle to earn enough to feed their families.