An adviser to Iran's Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, has died of the novel coronavirus (Covid-19) according to a  Bloomberg report.

The official, Mohammad Mir-Mohammadi, was a member of the Expediency Council, a body that advises Khamenei, and resolves disputes between the Supreme leader and parliament, Arab News further reported.

His death comes amidst the infection of other politicians in the country, including the deputy health minister, Iraj Harirch and the Vice President for Women and Family Affairs, Masoumeh Ebtekar.

Second Iranian official to have died from the virus

Mir-Mohammadi appears to be the second Iranian official confirmed to have died from Covid-19 thus far.

Israeli media Jerusalem Post reported that a lawmaker who had been elected in Iran's parliamentary elections on Feb. 21 had died of the virus last week.

Almost 1,000 infected in Iran

Reuters reported that Iran has close to a thousand cases of Covid-19, with 978 confirmed cases.

It also has the highest death toll outside of China, with 54 confirmed deaths.

Arab News further reported that Iran's fatality rate of about 5.5 per cent from the virus is higher than other countries, and suggests that the number of infections in the country is much higher than officially reported.

Meanwhile, Asif Shuja, from the National University of Singapore’s (NUS) Middle East Institute, has stated that the information coming out of Iran is "not to be entirely trusted".

He noted that Iran had reported its first two Covid-19 deaths "out of the blue" on Feb. 19, two days before the country's parliamentary elections.

As such, this can "compel anyone that there has been cover-up, as far as infection is concerned."

Top photo from @khamenei_ir Twitter