On March 23 , 2020 Ayatollah Ali Khamenei referred to a conspiracy theory that the US was behind the coronavirus , although he questioned its authenticity .
On 23 March 2020 , Iran 's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei mentioned a conspiracy theory that the US created `` a special version '' of the virus that was affecting the country , adding `` I do not know how real this accusation is '' .
2020 coronavirus pandemic in Iran