Ayatollah Ali Khamenei receives an injection of the COV Iranian Barakat vaccine against the coronavirus in Tehran, Iran on June 25, 2021. Photo: Office of the Iranian Supreme Leader via AP

i24 News – Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei on Friday received the first dose of a coronavirus vaccine developed in the country, state television reported, as Tehran works to accelerate the deployment of its treatment.

The channel showed the 82-year-old leader receiving what it claims is the COVID vaccine Iran Barakat, developed by a group affiliated with the state and approved for public use earlier this month.

Iran, with a population of 83 million, has recorded 83,588 deaths since the outbreak of the coronavirus in March 2020, the highest toll in the Middle East.

The government of outgoing President Hassan Rouhani has blamed the slowness of the vaccination campaign on US sanctions hampering efforts to purchase foreign vaccines and delays in delivery.