Voice of America
26 Feb 2020, 00:35 GMT+10
WASHINGTON - Secretary of State Mike Pompeo on Tuesday hit out at China and Iran for their response to the outbreak of coronavirus, accusing the two governments of censorship and of trying to cover up the severity of the spread of the deadly illness.
Pompeo assailed Beijing for expelling three Wall Street Journal reporters and said a free press was needed to ensure accurate information about the virus is available to the public and medical personnel. He also said Iranian authorities must "tell the truth" about the virus amid signs the outbreak there may be far wider than officially acknowledged.
"Expelling our journalists exposes once again the government's issue that led to SARS and now the coronavirus, namely censorship. It can have deadly consequences," Pompeo said of China.
"Had China permitted its own and foreign journalists and medical personnel to speak and investigate freely, Chinese officials and other nations would have been far better prepared to address the challenge," he told reporters at a State Department news conference.
On Iran, which now has the second highest number of infections after China and where officials said earlier Tuesday that the head of the country's counter-coronavirus task force tested positive for the virus, Pompeo said the U.S. is "deeply concerned" that the government "may have suppressed vital details about the outbreak."
"All nations, including Iran, should tell the truth about the coronavirus and cooperate with international aid organizations," he said.
The virus that originated in China has now infected more than 80,000 people and killed more than 2,500, mostly in China.
Get a daily dose of Baton Rouge Post news through our daily email, its complimentary and keeps you fully up to date with world and business news as well.
Publish news of your business, community or sports group, personnel appointments, major event and more by submitting a news release to Baton Rouge Post.
More InformationMILAN, Italy: Italian regulators have flagged four non-EU countries—including Russia—as carrying systemic financial risk for domestic...
NEW YORK CITY, New York: With just weeks to spare before a potential government default, U.S. lawmakers passed a sweeping tax and spending...
PARIS, France: Fast-fashion giant Shein has been fined 40 million euros by France's antitrust authority over deceptive discount practices...
PALO ALTO/TEL AVIV: The battle for top AI talent has claimed another high-profile casualty—this time at Safe Superintelligence (SSI),...
FRANKLIN, Tennessee: Hundreds of thousands of Nissan and Infiniti vehicles are being recalled across the United States due to a potential...
REDMOND, Washington: Microsoft is the latest tech giant to announce significant job cuts, as the financial strain of building next-generation...
NEW YORK CITY, New York: With just weeks to spare before a potential government default, U.S. lawmakers passed a sweeping tax and spending...
GUIYANG, July 7 (Xinhua) -- International experts attending the Eco Forum Global Guiyang 2025 have praised China's progress in ecological...
China ready to promote flagship Belt and Road project, boost trade, investment with Ethiopia -- Premier Li China stands ready to...
Rio de Janeiro [Brazil], July 7 (ANI): Leaders of the BRICS nations welcomed Indonesia as a member of the group, while 10 nations,...
Birmingham [UK], July 7 (ANI): Following a historic outing with the bat at Birmingham, Indian skipper Shubman Gill reflected on changes...
Rio de Janeiro [Brazil], July 7 (ANI): Leaders of the BRICS nations have welcomed India's candidacy to host the 33rd Conference of...