"Yes, there has been a conversation," Jalali said in response to a question from Sputnik whether Iran had asked for Russia's help in fighting the coronavirus.
Jalali said Iran welcomed all assistance to help contain the spread of the virus in the country, which has so far infected more than 1,500 people and killed over 60 people.
"We welcome humanitarian assistance from all countries, including like-minded ones," he added.
Italy and Iran have become the recent hotbeds of the infection. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), over 7,160 coronavirus cases have been registered outside of China, where the outbreak started in December.
COVID-19 was first detected in China in late December and has since spread to more than 50 countries, prompting the World Health Organization (WHO) to declare a global health emergency. So far, the virus has infected more than 89,000 people worldwide, with over 3,000 people having died and more than 45,000 recovered.
