Iranian Researcher and Former Diplomat Amir Mousavi: Coronavirus Created in a Lab; U.S. May Have the Cure, but Is Waiting to Release It in Order to Profit

Iranian researcher and former diplomat Amir Mousavi said in a March 5, 2020 interview on Russia Today's Arabic-language channel that prominent scientists, including Russian biologist Igor Nikulin (see MEMRI TV Clip. No 7855), have said that coronavirus seems to have been developed in a laboratory and that it is an American conspiracy. He said that coronavirus may be America's way of targeting the government officials and cultural sites of its enemies like President Trump had threatened to do and that the U.S. may have the cure for coronavirus, but is holding off on releasing it so that coronavirus continues to affect China and Iran and so that the cure will increase in price and yield greater profits for America. Mousavi also said that America's recent offer of aid to Iran came with a demand for accurate information, and that this is an indication that the U.S. is trying to collect information about the virus' behavior in order to use it in future biological wars.

Amir Mousavi: "Prominent scientists have emphasized the idea [that coronavirus is a conspiracy] – including Russian biologist Mr. Igor [Nikulin], who said that this is not something natural. There are scientists, even in the United States, who say that these viruses do not exist naturally in humans, but are rather produced in labs. In the past, they would spread in wild animals. According to lab reports on the composition of this virus, it does not exist in humans. It may have been developed in dangerous labs that are used in biological warfare. We must not forget that the U.S. has threatened to attack cultural centers. President Trump made this threat. Today, we notice that Wuhan, China is a cultural city. It is not a center of industry or trade. The same is true of the holy city of Qom, which is a cultural and religious city par excellence.

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"I believe that some officials are being targeted as well. We have just heard the news of the passing of Hossein Sheikholeslam, who was an aide to the foreign minister and a veteran diplomat. We see that some people in parliament [have the virus], as well as people who are close to the Supreme Guide [Khamenei] and who work in important institutions... And perhaps people in the media, like myself, will also be targeted.

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"Perhaps the [Americans] have the antidote, and will release it gradually in the future, because they do not want to spread the antidote in the countries that are presently affected [by the virus] such as China, Iran, and South Korea. They want the price [for the antidote] to rise so they can profit from it commercially. We see that even the recent American aid proposal to Iran came with [a demand] for accurate information. In other words, they want to know how this virus spreads, so that they can use it in their biological wars."