Iranian people wearing protective masks as they walk at a store, amid the outbreak of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19), in Tehran, Iran, Nov. 11, 2020. Photo: Majid Asgaripour / WANA (West Asia News Agency) via Reuters.

Iran’s death toll from the coronavirus rose by 457 to 40,121 on Thursday, the highest in the Middle East, with the total number of identified cases reaching 726,585, Health Ministry data showed.

Ministry spokeswoman Sima Sadat Lari told state TV that Iran had identified 11,517 new cases of COVID-19 in the last 24 hours.