State TV reports Iranian mayor tests positive for coronavirus, official denies report

An Iranian official has tested positive for coronavirus, state TV reported on Saturday.

Morteza Rahmanzadeh, the mayor of district 13 of the capital Tehran, was hospitalized with coronavirus symptoms on Friday, according to state TV.

But the Fars news agency later tweeted the director of public relations for district 13 had denied Rahmanzadeh had contracted the virus, saying he was in good health.

Iran confirmed 13 new coronavirus cases on Friday, bringing its total to 18. Four of them have died.

The coronavirus, which originated in China, has spread to a growing number of countries and has now been reported in several Iranian cities.