Iran's Health Ministry has reported a slowdown in coronavirus infections, saying that 89 of 160 cities are out of the designated high-risk category.

“I thank our dear people for taking the appropriate precautions and tolerating the restrictions,” deputy health minister Alireza Raisi said on state TV, adding that public adherence was 90 per cent.

Still, the government on Saturday announced the closure of most non-essential government offices in an effort to stem the spread of the virus.

A health ministry spokeswoman reported 13,402 new coronavirus cases, pushing the national tally to 935,799 in the Middle East's worst-hit country. She said the death toll had risen by 391 in the past 24 hours to 7,486.