Staff of Iran's Ministry of Health and Medical Education arrange boxes of masks donated by China in Tehran, Iran, on Feb. 25, 2020. (Xinhua/Ahmad Halabisaz)

The Iranian Embassy in Beijing received 4 million yuan ($576,800) within 24 hours after embassy officials announced on Weibo that Iran urgently needed face masks, respirators, virus test kits, and other medical supplies on Wednesday.

"The generosity and kindness of our Chinese friends touched us deeply," the embassy said on its official Weibo account on Thursday, vowing to use the money for disease prevention supplies.

The Iranian Embassy included contact numbers and QR codes to their WeChat and Alipay accounts. Chinese netizens responded with screenshots revealing money transfer information underneath the embassy's post and also included inspirational support with expressions like "Cheer for Iran" and praising the friendship between China and Iran.

"This money will be used to purchase epidemic prevention materials, and we will timely release the details of the materials and the direction," Iranian Embassy officials said on its Weibo account.  

The fundraising effort was supported by charitable foundations based in China.

"We are an indomitable people, and victory [against the virus] must be ours," a Chinese netizen commented. 

"As an Iranian, I am very touched by our Chinese friends' warmth and love. Fighting epidemics knows no borders, religions, or ethnicities," an Iranian netizen named "Cardini" in South China's Guangzhou Province, commented on Weibo.

The international community remains deeply concerned with the severity of the epidemic in Iran. France, Germany, and the UK offered Iran a combined $5.58 million in aid to combat COVID-19. China has also dispatched medical expert teams to Iran and donated nucleic acid test kits.

Chinese residing in Iran have also donated, the Global Times has learned.

The Chinese Embassy in Iran and Chinese companies operating in the Middle Eastern country have donated 250,000 face masks and 5,000 nucleic acid testing kits to Iranian public health, medical, and education authorities. The move followed the arrivals of medical aid from China last week that included coronavirus test kits, oxygen machines, disinfectants, and electronic thermometers. 

A volunteer group with the Chinese Red Cross Society consisting of five health experts also arrived in Tehran with medical supplies on Saturday.