The mystery persists, and the affair provokes strong emotion in the country. New cases of poisoning of Iranian schoolgirls were listed Saturday in at least five provinces by the media. Dozens of young girls have been transferred to hospitals. The general state of health of these students, suffering from respiratory problems, dizziness or headaches, is not considered serious, according to them.
In total, several hundred cases of gas poisoning in dozens of establishments have been reported in the past three months, including in the holy city of Qom. This mysterious case provoked mobilizations of parents of students worried about their children and asking the authorities to act.
Government launches investigation
President Ebrahim Raisi on Friday asked the Interior and Intelligence Ministries to “defeat the enemy’s plot which aims to create fear and despair among the population”. He gave no indication of the identity of this “enemy”.
The authorities criticized, as an interference in the affairs of the country, the call launched Friday by the German diplomacy to elucidate “all the cases” in this “shocking” case of poisoning. The United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights also called for “a transparent investigation” and public findings.
The government has announced an investigation into the origins of the poisoning, but no arrests have been announced at this stage. Last week, a Health Ministry official explained that “certain individuals” were seeking, through these actions, to “close all schools, especially girls’ schools”. This version has not been taken over by other maintainers.