Rouhani urges Iran not to be afraid of virus

Iranian President Hassan Rouhani said on Tuesday Iran will "get through" the outbreak of a new virus after the country reported more than 60 cases.

In a speech broadcast on state TV, Rouhani called the coronavirus an "uninvited and inauspicious passenger".

But he said Iran would overcome the contagion like it did a "very difficult" strain of type B influenza in 2019.

Iran's government said on Monday that 12 people had died nationwide in the outbreak from 61 total cases.

It also rejected claims of a much higher death toll of 50 by a lawmaker from the city of Qom that has been at the epicentre of the virus in the country.

The conflicting reports raised questions about the Iranian government's transparency concerning the scale of the outbreak.

"No fear must be spread among people. Everyone must follow the instructions of the Health Ministry and assist one another," Rouhani added.

Schools were closed in Iran for a second day in Tuesday, and daily sanitising of public buses and the Tehran metro, which is used by some three million people, had begun.

Clusters of the virus have emerged in Iran and Italy, and there are concerns the new outbreaks could signal a serious new stage in the global spread of the illness.