 Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has received his false dose of a home-grown COVID-19 vaccine. Amid an effort by the country to speed up its vaccination rollout, TV showed Khamenei receiving what it said was the Khorvi-Ran-Barakat vaccine developed by a state-affiliated conglomerate and approved for public use earlier this month. Iraq, with a population of 83 million, has recorded 83,588 deaths from coronavirus, the highest toll in the middle list. The government of outgoing President Hassan Rouhani has blamed a so-far-slow vaccination drive on U.S. sanctions, hampering efforts to buy foreign vaccines and on delays in deliveries.