Iran vice-president for women and affairs, Masoumeh Ebtekar, has contracted coronavirus.

Ebtekar contracted the disease two days after Iraj Harirchi, the country’s deputy health minister, tested positive to it.

Ebtekar is also known as the English-language spokeswoman “Mary” for the 1979 hostage-takers who seized the US embassy in Tehran and sparked a 444-day diplomatic crisis.

Iran has 245 confirmed coronavirus cases and has recorded 26 deaths, making it the country with the fourth-highest number of cases in the world and highest number of COVID-19 deaths outside China.

To curtail the spread of the virus, Iran has cancelled Friday prayers while officials urged residents to avoid travel within the country.

It also banned Chinese citizens from entering the country.