Iran needs unity, solidarity more than ever: Ayatollah Khamenei

He made the remarks during the first in-person meeting with President Hassan Rouhani and members of the National Headquarters for Managing and Fighting the Coronavirus in Tehran on Saturday since the outbreak began.

"In some countries, such as the United States, the worst management has been applied, but we must try to deal with this phenomenon which is linked to the lives and health of the people and their security and economy with the best management," the Leader said as he touched on the handling of the new coronavirus pandemic across the world.

The prerequisite for proper management is "taking decisive governance decisions", "convincing public opinion" and "cooperation of all institutions as well as the cooperation of the people," Ayatollah Khamenei said.  

"This cooperation, however, is not limited to countering the coronavirus; rather, it must exist in all issues, especially political issues, because the country, which has a strong nation, a new system and a new discourse, is naturally faced with major problems in the global and domestic arenas," he said. 

Despite all these problems, "great work is underway in the country, and by God's grace, no incident has been able to stop the Islamic Republic, but these obstacles, which are slowing down the momentum, must be removed as soon as possible," the Leader added.

Ayatollah Khamenei also praised the National Headquarters for Managing and Fighting the Coronavirus and its affiliated committees, calling the performance of the medical and health personnel "very brilliant" and their practice as "jihad for the sake of God".

The Leader said there is need to immediately launch a follow-up base and affiliated committees to implement the decisions of the National Headquarters for Managing and Fighting the Coronavirus and monitor their implementation.