Reisi made the remarks on Wednesday in a press conference held virtually on the occasion of the World No-Tobacco Day 2021.

The World Health Organization created World No Tobacco Day in 1987 to draw global attention to the tobacco epidemic and the preventable death and disease it causes. The day is further intended to draw attention to the widespread prevalence of tobacco use and to negative health effects, which currently lead to more than 8 million deaths each year worldwide, including 1.2 million are the result of non-smokers being exposed to second-hand smoke.

Referring to the 40 percent increase in hookah consumption over the last eight years in the country, he stated that tobacco brings the country a loss of 1.4 quadrillion rials (nearly $33.3 billion at the official rate of 42,000 rials) annually, taking health costs into consideration.

Stating that tobacco consumption is high among Iranian women, he said that “one of the reasons for the increase in the tendency of women, especially young people, to desire to use hookah is the presence of aromatic tobacco, which is very dangerous and harmful.”

Coronavirus has killed more than three million people in a year and a half, but smoking kills eight million people a year, and the tobacco mafia is still active, causing extensive damage to society, he lamented.

Aromatic tobacco is very dangerous and contains 7,000 chemicals, of which 70 are carcinogenic and 400 are toxic, he further noted.

In 2014, there were 7 tobacco production units, which increased to 23 units in 2020, showing that the number of these production units has quadrupled, he added.

Tobacco use

The nicotine contained in tobacco is highly addictive and tobacco use is a major risk factor for cardiovascular and respiratory diseases, over 20 different types or subtypes of cancer, and many other debilitating health conditions. Every year, more than 8 million people die from tobacco use. Most tobacco-related deaths occur in low- and middle-income countries, which are often targets of intensive tobacco industry interference and marketing.

Tobacco can also be deadly for non-smokers. Second-hand smoke exposure has also been implicated in adverse health outcomes, causing 1.2 million deaths annually. Nearly half of all children breathe air polluted by tobacco smoke and 65 000 children die each year due to illnesses related to second-hand smoke. Smoking while pregnant can lead to several life-long health conditions for babies.

Heated tobacco products (HTPs) contain tobacco and expose users to toxic emissions, many of which cause cancer and are harmful to health. Electronic nicotine delivery systems (ENDS) and electronic non-nicotine delivery systems (ENNDS), commonly known as e-cigarettes, do not contain tobacco and may or may not contain nicotine, but are harmful to health and undoubtedly unsafe. However, it is too early to provide a clear answer on the long-term impact of HTPs and/or e-cigarette use.

Smokers face a 40 – 50 percent higher risk of developing severe disease and death from COVID-19.

A recent technical manual on tobacco tax policy and administration by the WHO shows countries are to cut down on over US$1.4 trillion in health expenditures and lost productivity due to tobacco use worldwide.

Improved tobacco taxation policies can also be a key component of building back better after COVID-19, where countries need additional resources to respond and to finance health system recovery.

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Saeed Namaki on Friday sent a letter to Basij (mobilization) Force Commander Brigadier General Gholam Reza Soleimani, commending the paramilitary forces for their active participation in the first stage of the national scheme in which more than 70 million Iranians were screened for coronavirus infection.

The minister noted that the Basij forces’ dedication to the countrywide scheme to defeat COVID-19 will go down in history, saying the Health Ministry and Basij will be working together in the second stage of the coronavirus battle national mobilization plan.

During the second stage, Namaki said, the cases detected in the previous phase will be monitored, the people who were in contact with the infected cases but have no symptoms will be tested, and the smart social distancing program will be supervised.

Last week, Iranian President Hassan Rouhani unveiled a plan for smart social distancing across the country as a new phase of measures to prevent the spread of coronavirus.

In Iran, nearly 35,500 coronavirus patients have recovered from the disease so far.

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Health minister added the implementation of the screen plan began four days ago rapidly, noting that a significant number of these individuals were screened via the online platform – salamat.gov.ir – and the rest through phone calls, electronic health files and apps, IRNA reported.

Of the total number, 1,605 infected individuals were hospitalized, he said.

The minister expressed hope that in the coming days, the rest of the people would be screened.

The new virus, a respiratory disease also known as COVID-19, emerged in the central Chinese city of Wuhan in Hubei Province late last year. It has killed nearly 6,500 people globally, and infected over 170,000 others, according to worldometers.info.

In Iran, 14,991 people have been infected, 4,996 have recovered, and 853 have lost their lives to the infection as of Monday.

Speaking on the same day at a session of the National Headquarters for Fighting Coronavirus, Iranian President Hassan Rouhani described as promising figures pertaining to efforts to contain the spread of the virus in the country, according to president.ir.

He said, “As of tomorrow (Tuesday) the ministries of health and interior will announce the exit routes and roads to different provinces and begin taking people’s temperatures on these roads to check for fever.”

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Speaking to reporters at a press conference in Tehran on Tuesday, Namaki slammed those who question the Health Ministry’s reports on the coronavirus cases and the death toll.

“In this case, the WHO director-general Mr. Tedros (Adhanom Ghebreyesus) reviewed our statistics and issued a statement, declaring that Iran’s reporting system was completely correct, flawless and reliable,” he added.

In remarks on Monday, the WHO director-general said the world body has not found any concrete evidence proving that Iran had been covering up the severity of the coronavirus epidemic in the country.

“I wouldn’t frame any country without any reason or without having any fact,” Ghebreyesus told CNBC news channel when asked about the media hype revolving around Iran and accusing the country of covering up the severity of the new coronavirus epidemic

“There are reports that come from the media… but this is the WHO, you know, this is a technical organization and should check the facts. We cannot say what journalists say,” he added.

“I say if we followed journalists’ reports, whether it’s well done or not, then where we end.”

According to Iran’s Health Ministry, the death toll from the COVID-19 outbreak in Iran rose to 77 on Tuesday, with the confirmed cases of infection surpassing 2,336.

Medical staffs in 20 provinces of Iran have been working tirelessly over the past days to contain the novel coronavirus that has originated from China.

Following the increase of coronavirus increase, the Iranian government ordered the shutting of schools and universities and a ban on concerts and sports events.

Several high-ranking officials, including the deputy health minister and five lawmakers, have tested positive for the coronavirus as the spread of the outbreak forced the government to call on people to stay at home.

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