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emergency and can thus be thrown in the waste paper basket.
The US sanctions-weary Iranian economy—one of the earliest affected by a COVID-19 outbreak, which is the worst in the Middle East—was also projected by the IMF to endure ​consumer price inflation of 34.2% and 33.5% this year and next year, respectively.​ Last year, the rate was an estimated 41.1%.
For Iran’s ​current account balance​ across 2019, 2020 and 2021, the IMF gave estimated figures of -0.1%, -4.1% and -3.4% of GDP, respectively. For Iran’s​ unemployment rates ​across 2019, 2020 and 2021, the IMF estimated 13.6%, 16.3% and 16.7% of GDP, respectively.
2.0​ ​Politics
2.1​ ​‘Second surge’ virus fears grow in Iran, Pakistani
pilgrims expelled, Iranians sent home from Tajikistan
Fears that Iran is experiencing a second surge of coronavirus (COVID-19) infections amid the relaxation of lockdown restrictions intensified on May 14 as new data showed that the country’s number of cases has spiked by 40% in the past week.
Iranian Ministry of Health spokesman Kianush Jahanpour said live on IRINN that Iran on May 13 recorded 1,808 new cases to take the total of officially logged infections to 114,533. The latest number of COVID-19 deaths was 6,854 (up 71 on the day). A total of 90,539 people were listed as having recovered from their infection, according to Jahanpour.
Separately, Pakistani Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi has said that despite a request for more time to establish facilities for quarantine in Pakistan, Iran forcibly returned 5,000 Pakistani nationals, largely Shi’ite pilgrims.
"I spoke with the Iranian foreign minister and asked him to take more time to return the pilgrims, but they were unable to do so due to economic sanctions," Qureshi said in the Pakistani parliament, ​Dawn​ reported on May 12.
Shi’ite shrines in Iran attract Pakistani pilgrims.
Islamabad has claimed such pilgrims returning from Iran are the source of its virus woes. Pakistan's first deputy prime minister claimed in mid-April that 80% of confirmed cases of coronavirus in Pakistan were those of citizens who had returned to Pakistan from Iran.
Pakistan had officially logged 35,788 COVID-19 infections and 770 associated deaths as of May 14.
On May 13, Iran’s ambassador to Dushanbe said at least 137 Iranian nationals had been repatriated from Tajikistan on a special charter flight as precaution against the spread of the virus. They were due to be placed in compulsory quarantine in Iran.
5​ IRAN Country Report June 2020 www.intellinews.com