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Ayatollah Khamenei calls for investigation into reports of school poisonings

PM:07:55:06/03/2023

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SULAIMANI — Iran's Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, has called on officials to investigate reports of the poisoning of school girls.

Khamenei said the crime was unforgivable and issued strict orders for the issue to come under investigation, according to Islamic Republic News Agency (IRNA).

Iranian politicians have speculated the students may have been targeted by religious groups who oppose girls' education.

Khamenei claimed the poisonings were a plot by Iran’s enemies, IRNA said.

More than 1,000 Iranian girls in different schools were allegedly poisoned in 25 areas in Iran, forcing some parents to take their daughters out of school and protest.

Police and Iranian media outlets have not revealed any suspects so far.

The BBC cited a professor of toxicology at the University of Leeds who said he detected no toxins in blood tests sent to him unofficially from sources in Iran.

The professor, Alastair Hay, suggested psychological factors could be the source of the supposed poisoning, referring to them as sociogenic illness, the BBC stated.

However, some parents and students say they have been targeted for taking part in anti-government protests.

(NRT Digital Media)