Secretary of State Mike Pompeo accused China and Iran of suppressing information about the spread of the coronavirus.
The top U.S. diplomat spoke to reporters about the international effort to combat the coronavirus on Tuesday, according to the Associated Press. He said a lack of transparency in China and Iran has interfered with other countries’ ability to respond to its spread.
“Had China permitted its own and foreign journalists and medical personnel to speak and investigate freely, Chinese officials and other nations would have been far better prepared to address the challenge,” Pompeo said.
China expelled three reporters from the Wall Street Journal last week, which the outlet said was because of a headline, “China Is the Real Sick Man of Asia,” published with a Feb. 3 column by Hudson Institute fellow Walter Russell Mead.
Critics say the Chinese government initially suppressed news of the coronavirus outbreak, which began in the city of Wuhan late last year. The Chinese health ministry reported that more than 76,000 people in the country have contracted the disease, and nearly 2,500 patients have died.
Iran has the second-largest number of coronavirus cases behind China. A top Iranian health official confirmed on Tuesday that he has been infected with the coronavirus, which has already claimed 15 lives in that country.
The U.S. government suspects Iran “may have suppressed vital details about the outbreak,” Pompeo said. “All nations, including Iran, should tell the truth about the coronavirus and cooperate with international aid organizations.”
