Iranian state TV says the death toll in the country from the new coronavirus has risen to 12, after four more people died.
The TV quoted lawmaker Asadollah Abbasi as saying on Monday that the total number of confirmed cases stands at 47, including the deaths.
The report comes after the health ministry on Sunday raised the death toll from the new virus that first emerged in China in December to eight, amid concerns that clusters there as well as in Italy and South Korea could signal a serious new stage in its global spread.
The outbreak in Iran has centered mostly on the city of Qom, but spread rapidly over the past few days to people in four other cities, including the capital, Tehran. Iranians also went to the polls on Friday for nationwide parliamentary elections, with many voters wearing masks and stocking up on hand sanitizer.