°®Âþµº

Iran's Supreme Leader received a on Friday, state TV reported.

was vaccinated with the first dose of Iran's COVIran Barekat - a vaccine the Islamic Republic announced in April that it was producing.

"I am truly grateful to all those who used their knowledge and experience and made scientific and practical efforts to provide the country with such a great, prestigious capability," Khamenei  on Twitter, where he posted footage showing him receiving the jab.

He had banned US and British-made vaccines, saying he would not allow enemies to "test" their vaccines on the Iranian people.

Iran is the hardest hit country by the pandemic in the Middle East, with over 83,000 Iranians having died from Covid-19 so far.

The government has been criticised for its slow rollout of vaccines.