Baku, February 4, AZERTAC

Former Iran and Persepolis football team defender Ali Ansarian passed away because of COVID-19 Wednesday evening, according to IRNA.

Ansarian died Wednesday evening after a battle with COVID-19.

He passed away at the age of 43 at the Farhikhtegan Hospital in Tehran, capital of Iran.

He was admitted to the intensive care unit (ICU) of the Farhikhtegan Hospital in Tehran on January 21, 2021.

Ansarian also represented Iran's national football team from 1998 to 2007.

Last week, Mehrdad Minavand, who represented Iran in the 1998 FIFA World Cup, died of COVID-19 in Tehran.

Some 79 deaths were caused by COVID-19 in Iran over the past 24 hours, spokeswoman for Iran's Ministry of Health and Medical Education Sima Sadat Lari said on Wednesday.

According to her report, the number of the total death toll reached 58,189.