“Iran was one of the first countries to help us by sending masks at the time of the coronavirus outbreak in China,” said Chang Hua, adding, “At present, with the spread of coronavirus in Iran,we will remain with our Iranian friends and believe that they can manage and control this crisis.”

“We have sent an expert medical team to Iran to support it,” he noted referring to arrival of expert team in Tehran on Saturday.

Chinese ambassador said, “Iran and China will enter to new phase of cooperation after dealing with this virus.”

“The experiences of China about the virus can help other countries as well. The specialists in Iran are the top experts in the field of virus control and treatment and we can work well together,” he noted, adding, “We hope to prevent the spread of the coronavirus with the help of the Iranian Red Crescent Society and the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC).”

The death toll from the coronavirus outbreak, officially known as COVID-19, in Iran has risen to 66 with 1501 confirmed cases.

According to the latest reports, the novel coronavirus has so far infected 89,075 people in 67 countries, claiming 3,053 lives.

Mainland China reported 202 new confirmed coronavirus cases on March 2, putting the country’s total infections at 80,026 and a death toll of 2,912.

Several European and Asian countries have also announced new cases in the past day, and Qatar became the latest Middle Eastern country to report its first case.