Iran's death toll from the global pandemic topped 32,000 this week.

Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei publicized an image of himself in a mask in recent days, urging both public officials and the Islamic Republic's 80 million people to wear them to stop the virus's spread.

Ayatollah Ali Khamenei's comments come as Iran announces the death of another 129 people, raising the death toll to 1,685 amid 21,638 cases.

Iran is battling the worst outbreak in the Middle East, with nearly 20,000 confirmed cases, and has been widely criticized for its slow response.

Iran’s supreme leader called Wednesday for those detained in recent gasoline price protests to be treated with “Islamic mercy” even after authorities acknowledged government forces shot and killed demonstrators nationwide in unrest that reportedly killed over 200 people.

There had been reports about a possible meeting between President Donald Trump and his Iranian counterpart, Hassan Rouhani, during the upcoming U.N. General Assembly this month in New York.

Iran's intelligence minister has said Tehran and Washington could hold talks only if the United States ended its sanctions and Iran's top authority, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, gave his approval.

Iran’s Supreme Leader has rejected U.S. President Donald Trump’s offer of unconditional talks and criticized the Iranian government’s response to American sanctions.

U.S. President Donald Trump may have a tougher time bringing Iran to the table with the kind of brazen military threats he levelled against North Korea.

Iranian lawmakers burned an American flag in parliament on Wednesday to protest U.S. President Donald Trump's withdrawal from the nuclear deal.