The new coronavirus is killing one person every four minutes in Iran, state TV reported, a death rate authorities said was sure to quicken if Iranians continue to fail to adhere to health protocols.

“This week is worse than the previous week. The situation will be much worse next week and we have very difficult days ahead,” Health Minister Saeed Namaki was quoted by state media as saying.

The health ministry in the Middle East’s hardest-hit country reported 321 new deaths and 25,078 new cases over the past 24 hours. A banner on state TV said that amounted to a death every four minutes, according to Reuters.