New cases of poisoning of schoolgirls were listed in several regions of Iran, Saturday and Sunday, while the mystery hangs for months on the origin of these poisonings.
On Monday March 6, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei declared that "the poisoning of schoolgirls in Iran is an 'unforgivable crime'.
Day after day, the phenomenon is repeated: students in girls' schools breathe in "unpleasant" or "unknown" odors and then show symptoms such as nausea, shortness of breath and dizziness.
Some of them are briefly hospitalized but none have so far been seriously affected.
On Sunday, new poisonings were reported in two girls' high schools in the cities of Abhar and Ahvaz, but also in a primary school in Zanjan, according to the Isna news agency, citing local health officials.
Schoolgirls were also poisoned in schools in the holy city of Mashhad, Shiraz and Isfahan, according to the Mehr and Ilna agencies.
In total, several hundred cases of gas poisoning have been reported in more than 52 establishments in the past three months, according to the official count.
Iran's Supreme Leader on Monday called the poisoning of Iranian schoolgirls in recent months an "unforgivable" crime.
"The authorities should seriously address the issue of poisoning students. It is an unforgivable crime (...) the perpetrators of this crime must be severely punished," said Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, quoted by the state media.
"A very bad smell spread all of a sudden, I felt bad and fell on the floor," said a schoolgirl on television.
Parastou, a high school student from Boroujerd, told the Ham Mihan newspaper that she was hospitalized after "feeling nausea and severe pain" in her chest.
An emergency doctor at the hospital in this city explained that "most of the students" had "symptoms of headaches, respiratory problems, lethargy, nausea and low blood pressure".
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Iran: at least 26 girls' schools affected by poison attacks in one day
Discovery of "suspicious samples"
Alarmed, the mother of a pupil urged the authorities to install cameras in front of the establishments and to guard the door to “know who is entering and leaving” in order to protect the children.
In several cities, parents of students have thus mobilized by asking the authorities to act without delay.
During a meeting with the Minister of Education in Qom, Grand Ayatollah Abdollah Javadi Amoli called on officials to "settle the problem as soon as possible" in order to "reassure the Nation".
“It is frightening to note that the origin of the poisoning of the students has not yet been determined,” he lamented.
Last week, a Health Ministry official explained that "certain individuals" were seeking, by carrying out such actions, to "close all schools, especially girls' schools".
Interior Minister Ahmad Vahidi reported on Saturday evening the discovery of "suspicious samples" during "field research".
But he did not give more details to identify the substances used.
For his part, President Ebrahim Raïsi on Friday asked the Ministries of the Interior and Intelligence to "defeat the plot of the enemy" who "wants to sow fear, insecurity and despair".
The head of Civil Defense, General Gholamreza Jalali, said on Sunday that the country's schools were "immersed in a social panic".
"I'm not saying the poisonings aren't real, but instilling general fear could dramatically increase the number of casualties," he said.
Deputy Interior Minister Majid Mirahmadi accused the "perpetrators of the poisoning of the girls" of wanting to "close the schools", but also of "blaming the system" in order to "rekindle the flame extinct from the riots".
He was thus referring to the protest movement sparked in Iran by the death of Mahsa Amini on September 16.
With AFP
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