After Mainland China , South Korea , and Italy , Iran had the highest number of SARS-CoV-2 cases in 2020 .
As of the same date , Iran has the highest number of COVID-19 deaths outside China , the highest in Western Asia and the third-highest number of SARS-CoV-2 cases , surpassed by only Mainland China , and South Korea , .
2020 coronavirus pandemic in Iran