Today, Friday, the Iranian President spoke about the wave of poisoning of girls in schools, which has raised concerns in the country and prompted some parents to prevent their daughters from continuing education.
In a speech broadcast live on Iranian television, Ibrahim Raisi spoke of poison attacks that began last November and affected more than 30 schools so far.
Speaking to a crowd in southern Iran, Raisi accused his country's enemies of being behind the poisoning attacks.
"This is a security scheme to cause chaos in the country, with enemies seeking to spread fear and insecurity among parents and schoolgirls," he said.
He did not specify who these enemies were, but Iranian leaders often accuse the United States, Israel and other countries of working against their country's interests.
Last Tuesday, the Iranian Minister of Health said that hundreds of girls in different schools had suffered from poisoning.
Some politicians have indicated that they may be targeted by religious groups opposed to girls' education.
fuel tanker
A senior Iranian official said that a fuel tanker found near a school in a suburb of Tehran was also spotted in two other cities, and is likely to be involved in the poisoning incidents.
In an interview with the semi-official Tasnim agency, Reda Karimi Saleh, deputy governor of the Bardis suburb, said that the authorities confiscated the tanker and arrested its driver.
Saleh is the first government official to announce that a person has been detained in connection with the poisoning wave.
He explained that the same tanker was also in Qom and Borujerd in Lorestan province in western Iran, where schoolgirls also suffered from poisoning.
Referring to the Bardis area, Saleh said, "The guards at a parking lot where the fuel tanker was parked were also poisoned."
In Geneva, the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights called on Friday for a transparent investigation into the attacks.
UNHCR spokeswoman Ravina Shamdasani said, "We express our deep concern that girls are suspected of being deliberately targeted in seemingly mysterious circumstances."
She added that the results of the government investigation should be made public and the perpetrators brought to justice.
Pictures and videos of girls in the hospital spread on social media, who said they suffered from symptoms such as nausea, headaches, and heart arrhythmias.