Iranian envoy repatriated from Yemen dies of COVID-19

Iran's envoy to Yemen's rebel Houthi movement has died of COVID-19 after being repatriated last week, Iran's Foreign Ministry said on Tuesday, blaming unnamed countries for his delayed transfer from the Yemeni capital Sanaa.

The ambassador, Hasan Irlu, "was evacuated in poor condition due to delayed cooperation from certain countries," ministry spokesman Saeed Khatibzadeh told state media.

Khatibzadeh honoured Irlu as a "martyr" and said he was a survivor of chemical attacks in the Iran-Iraq war in the 1980s, Reuters reported.