Saffron latent virus (SaLV) is a tentative member of genus Potyvirus in family Potyviridae. The virus has recently been reported from saffron fields in Iran. During growing seasons of 2018, following the sampling of saffron (Crocus sativus L.) leaves from Torbat-e Heydarieh County in Razavi Khorasan province of Iran, several samples were investigated for virus infection in reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR). Total RNA was extracted from leaf tissue and used in reverse transcription test. DNA fragment of 575 bp corresponding to partial P3 coding region of SaLV was amplified by RT-PCR using sense and antisense specific primers. The purified PCR product of one isolate (Ir-TorH) was ligated into the pTG19-T vector and then transformed into competent cells of Escherichia coli strain DH5α. The recombinant plasmid was sequenced and deposited in the GenBank under the accession number of MK962477. Sequence analysis at nucleotide level showed that the Ir-TorH isolate has the maximum identity of 87.13% with Ir-Kh1 isolate (KY562565), the only isolate of this virus available in the GenBank. The deduced amino acid sequence shared only 76 % identity to Ir-Kh1. It seems that this is a new isolate of this species, however the definitive account requires sequencing of the virus whole genome.

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