Iran has begun mass vaccination of Russia's Covid-19 Sputnik V vaccine to control the deadliest epidemic in the Middle East.

Doctors and nurses at Imam Khomeini hospital in Tehran were the first Iranians to receive the Sputnik V vaccine today.

"We have started a national vaccination campaign against nCoV in tribute to medical personnel who have died," Iran's President Hassan Rouhani said at a ceremony at Imam Khomeini hospital.

Iran has bought two million doses of the Sputnik V vaccine from Russia, according to Health Ministry spokesman Kianoush Jahanpour.

Iran's Ministry of Health said the country had recorded 1.4 million cases, including more than 58,600 deaths from Covid-19.

In addition to Russia's Sputnik V vaccine, Health Minister Saeed Namaki said Iran will also receive 4.2 million doses of vaccine from AstraZeneca.

Iran began clinical trials of the first vaccine it developed on its own in December last year and went on to launch a second vaccine on February 8.